Dear coffee subscriber,
While we are still waiting for the fresh crop from Kenya, Ethiopia, Honduras and El Salvador to arrive our warehouses later this month, we can enjoy some of the rare cultivars from Finca Tamana from the 2024 harvest.
This month we are sending out three very different coffees from Tamana and they will be the last coffees we send out from this farm for a while. I really hope you have enjoyed tasting many different cultivars grown on the same farm for the last months.
If you haven’t already seen our two recent films from this farm, I highly recommend watching them both on YouTube.
Finca Tamana SL28 (1st & 4th bag)
Flavour notes
Red fruits, floral & chocolate
Producer
Elias Roa & Bellanid Sanchez
Harvest
May – June 2024
Origin
El Pital, Huila, Colombia
Process
Washed
Cultivar
SL28
I planted these SL28 seeds with Elias in 2013, and the trees were planted out in the field in early 2014. Since then, we have gradually been able to purchase more and more of this coffee.
The SL28 from Finca Tamana has a subtle flavour profile, yet still displays some of the classic SL28 characteristics, such as red berries. It has lower acidity, with an interesting combination of floral notes and dark chocolate.
I find it quite different from the brighter, more intense SL28 coffees grown in Kenya. While it may not be the most expressive coffee from the farm, it still offers a unique flavour that sets it apart from the more common Caturra, Castillo and Variedad Colombia cultivars typically grown in Colombia and at Finca Tamana.
Finca Tamana Papayo (2nd & 5th bag)
Flavour notes
Herbal, tropical fruit & red berries.
Producer
Elias Roa & Bellanid Sanchez
Harvest
May 2024
Origin
El Pital, Huila, Colombia
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Papayo
Elias received these “Papayo” seeds from a neighbour in Acevedo and planted them at Finca Tamana a few years ago. I have been tasting this coffee for several years now, and the quality has gradually improved.
This year, it finally produced a more distinct cup profile, and the volume was large enough to separate it from the other lots.
Personally, I believe this is a Pacamara variety, as the flavour reminds me of Pacamara and the beans are slightly larger than the other coffees from the farm. I find it to have a herbal character and tropical fruit notes, resulting in a rather intense cup.
Finca Tamana Geisha (3rd & 6th bag)
Flavour notes
Floral, citrus & tea
Producer
Elias Roa & Bellanid Sanchez
Harvest
June – August 2024
Origin
El Pital, Huila, Colombia
Process
Washed
Cultivar
Geisha
We have spent many years working to develop a great-tasting Geisha at Finca Tamana. It all began with seeds from Elias’ neighbour in Acevedo, which were planted on the farm about ten years ago.
After a few years, as the trees matured, it became clear that not all of them were Geisha. I advised Elias to selectively pick cherries only from the trees that looked like Geisha and had the distinct flavour characteristics associated with the variety. The seeds from those cherries were then planted in a different area of the farm, and this lot is the second harvest from that second generation of trees.
Although this is not the most intense Geisha we have tasted, it has a subtle and delicate floral quality. I am hopeful that, as the shade trees continue to grow and the Geisha trees become more established, the flavour will become more expressive in the years to come.