006 Colombia — Castilla

Claudio’s legacy: a paragon of classic Nariño – everyday+
Claudio Felipe Moncayo Ordóñez, Nariño, Colombia
— Washed Castilla

Claudio is the farmer of this amazing classical Colombian coffee. His hometown Pasto is a city and municipality and is the capital of the department of Nariño. The city is located in the cold but very fertile Atriz Valley, at the foot of the Galeras volcano, which has an altitude of 2,527 meters above sea level.
While each of Colombia’s various coffee-growing regions has a distinct character in the cup, Nariño’s unique climate conditions contribute to the special, sparkling quality of the coffees there. The dramatic slopes and valleys that comprise the landscape in this department have direct effect on the temperature modulation that creates these high-acidity, supersweet coffees: Warm, humid air collects in the lowlands during the day and creeps gently up the mountainsides at night, a combination that allows coffee to thrive at much higher altitudes than most of the rest of the country, as much as 2,300 meters above sea level.

Claudio has been dedicated most of his life to coffee, working the farm for over 40 years. He decided to dedicate himself to this product because it has been a family tradition that he inherited from his parents and now he passes the tradition on to his own children. Over the years many types of crops have passed, but coffee seems to be the only crop that continues to be profitable for Claudio and his surrounding farmers. Although coffee is a profitable crop, it is also very expensive to maintain and take care of, it requires a lot of patience and love for the land. Claudio’s farm is a family micro-enterprise, where, even though they know exactly how to grow and process coffee themselves, it has been very difficult to market it because it takes a lot of time (and money) to find a client that values the extra work.

This is the first year we’re working with Claudio’s coffee, but we have a strong feeling we’ll be working together for a long time.

Expect this coffee to be as juicy, yet classic as you’d want you washed Colombian coffee to be.
When you open the bag, you’ll smell that iconic Colombian smell that reminds us of cranberry cookies. You’ll find a round body and flavours of subtle green grape, cookies and very well-balanced, but intense, citric acidity.

Don’t be surprised if you want this to be your everyday morning coffee -for ever-.