RESERVE 227g
Farm: La Cristallina (Bajo Espanol)
Origin / Origine: Colombia
Region: Chinchina
Altitude: 1550m
Procédé / Process: Natural
Notes: framboise, abricot, "milk duds" / raspberry, apricot, milk duds
"The first owners were my grandparents, when they died the farm was inherited by their 5 sons and daughters.
Some of them sold their part of the farm, but my father kept his part and in 1960, my siblings bought the part that my uncles had sold, finally in 1999 I bought the farm, conserving the family legacy.
In 2006 we continued with the coffee traditions and we acquired two more farms “San Pablo & La Cristalina” located in vereda Bajo Español, in Chinchina municipality, where we produce the highest quality coffees we ever have". - Luis Valdez
This coffee is one of many coffees we've purchased from Luis. Luis carries on the family tradition with Café Cuatro Generaciones, the umbrella company for the three farms.The name references the four generations of his family that have been involved in coffee production.
With the help of Siruma in Colombia, this coffee, like other colombians we are acquiring are some of the best Colombian coffees on the market. Colombia is a deceptively complex coffee growing nation. While, you may see it all over bags in a grocery store, the coffees we mostly source taste like African coffees! But also, NOT like African coffees! Colombia has this "prefect storm" that can create big bodied, rich coffees that also have the depth, complexity & floral/fruit forward qualities you'd find in exceptional African offerings. That said, this reserve coffee is absolutely incredible. I wish there was more, but it's a very tricky ordeal to produce such incredible stuff such as this. Grab it while you can. It's unreal!
About La Cristallina & Bajo Espanol
La Cristalina is located in Vereda Bajo Español, in the municipality of Chinchina. Its 21 hectares reach between 1460 and 1790 meters above sea level, with 4.1 hectares dedicated to an environmental reserve.The three Valdes family farms—Parana, La Cristalina, and San Pablo—are highly technified properties, with admirable levels of production thanks to their combined total of 421,000 trees, 142,000 of which grow on Finca La Cristalina. Each year portions of the farm are replanted, always keeping in mind biodiversity and the environment. Coffee is washed and depulped at the ecological mill, where the pulp is placed in a compost treatment to be converted to organic fertilizer for the coffee trees.
Coffee cultivation complements a system of regulated shade with tree species, including walnut, red cedar, and guava, which create habitats for many species of birds. Finca Cristalina plants black cedar, a tree at risk for extinction, from its own nursery in the coffee fields. The forests on the farms are source of natural richness, creating habitats for many birds and animals.
Parana is the oldest of the three farms and has been in the family for more than one hundred years, today belonging to the fourth generation. Silvio Valdes was the original owner, and upon his death his property was left to his five children, some of whom sold their portions. But, beginning in 1960, the sold portions were re-purchased and by 1999 the full family legacy had been recuperated. In 2006, to continue the coffee growing tradition, San Pablo and La Cristalina were added to Parana.