Colombia Manos Juntas Micromill

Origin: Colombia 

Region: Cauca

Producer(s): Smallholder producers delivering to Manos Juntas Micromill

Variety:  Castillo

Altitude:  1400-2000 Meters Above Sea Level

Processing: Natural Process

Flavor Notes: Chocolate Truffle + Guava

We are very excited to offer this natural-processed coffee from the Manos Juntas Micromill in the department of Cauca in Colombia for the 4th year now.  This micromill is a project which is managed by Banexport, the export group that works very closely with our friends and import partners over at Cafe Imports. The purpose of the project is to simplify and streamline the process of producing natural-processed coffees, which have been steadily growing in popularity in the specialty coffee world (coffee in Colombia is traditionally washed-process). The philosophy is that coffee quality is determined both by the attention given to how coffee is grown and by how it is processed post-harvest. Since Banexport is managing the post-harvest processing, producers can remain focused on growing these exceptional coffees. With so many people using their expertise in the differing areas of a coffee's journey, they named the micromill Manos Juntas (Hands Together).

For Banexport and Cafe Imports, some of the key benefits to this program include:  

• Producers deliver and sell coffee in cherry form to Banexport by total weight. The riper the cherry, the heavier it is. This encourages more selective harvesting (which directly correlates to higher quality).

• Producers get paid upfront for their coffee. Typically producers have to wait 35 to 40 days for coffee to dry before selling it and getting paid.

• Banexport guarantees to pay producers a fixed price well above the market value for these cherries.

• Producers involved are from only nearby farms. This means they need only to travel a short distance to deliver coffee, as opposed to driving some distance into town.

• Coffee infrastructure, like drying beds, fermentation tanks, and depulpers, can be very expensive to purchase and maintain. With this model, producers can forgo those expenses and focus on maintaining healthy trees.

Upon the cherries' arrival, the sugars and pH were recorded, and they were placed in large hermetic tanks for a five-day-long anaerobic fermentation. Each tank is labeled with the name of the producer in order to retain traceability. During this period, nitrogen gas was introduced into the tanks in order to stimulate the yeast. The sugars and pH were measured constantly through this process and were used to determine the stopping point for fermentation. The coffee was then dropped to 20°C (68°F) in order to cease fermentation and remove the yeast and other microorganisms. Afterwards, the cherries rested in tanks for a period of five more days before they were taken to solar dryers to dry, typically taking between 30 to 45 days. From there, the coffee was sampled and, when approved, the lot was dry-milled and shipped.  Once in the US, we tasted, approved, and had the coffee delivered to our facility here on the West Side of Saint Paul.  We then crafted a roast profile to highlight what we found great about this coffee!  This cup offers a pillowy body and sweet, dessert-like flavors of chocolate truffle, dried cherry, amaretto, and guava! 

All coffees are available in whole bean only. 

We roast and ship on Mondays and Thursdays.  Orders placed Thursday through Sunday at midnight will roast and ship on Monday. Orders placed Monday through Wednesday at midnight will roast and ship on Thursday.