Colombia - Suarez

Process: Washed

Altitude: 1050 - 1850m

Roast: Medium

Strength: 3/5

Characteristics: Citrus fruit, caramel, milk chocolate

Located to the west of the Central cordillera, Suarez has a great variety of landscapes and cultural resources due to the many rivers cutting through the valleys and mountainsides and the diversity this has created. It has a number of goldmines as well as a gastronomical reputation and produces coffee and cane sugar.

The coffee here is picked by the smallholders with their families and neighbours and generally washed and dried on the farm, often at high altitudes on steep slopes, or brought to a nearby beneficiary for processing. It is then brought to the dry mill or cooperative headquarters for cupping, scoring and sorting for export.

Due to the many microclimates, faces of the slopes, and changing weather patterns, there is often fresh coffee cropping throughout the year, though generally this is split across the main and mitaca (or ‘fly’) crops. Global warming has seen a significant change across Colombia, bringing challenges to some areas and opportunities to others. Earthquakes and landslides have featured in the coffee areas, but the commitment to quality there remains high.