Cultivar | Caturra |
---|---|
Flavour Notes | Sweet chocolate, caramel & red fruits |
Producer | Elias Roa & Bellanid Sanchez |
Country | Colombia |
Region | El Pital, Huila |
Process | Washed |
Harvest | June – July 2022 |
Roast Profile | Espresso Roast |
Contents | Whole Coffee Beans |
Bag Size | 250g |
Finca Tamana Caturra Espresso
kr195.00
Expect a caramel like (or panela if you are Colombian) sweetness with a clean and smooth mouthfeel and subtle fruity flavours.
Out of stock
Additional information
Tim's Notes
When Elias Roa bought Finca Tamana in 2011 most of the farm was planted with the two cultivars Caturra and Variedad Colombia. Since then the Caturra trees have been attacked by leaf rust almost every year and the quality and production has therefore been a bit up and down. The Variedad Colombia is resistant to leaf rust and has consistently been tasting better compared to the Caturra over the years. That is why we have recommended Elias to replant most of his Caturra trees with either resistant hybrid cultivars or better tasting traditional cultivars like Bourbon and SL28.
There are still some Caturra left on the farm and probably always will be, but since the production is very small and the flavour is very similar to the Variedad Colombia we are normally blending the two based on harvest date and quality. Last harvest however was in general a very good season at Finca Tamana and we found that there were several productions of Caturra lots that tasted really good and unique. It made up enough volume so that it made sense to separate them from the Variedad Colombia.
Although the flavour profiles of these two different cultivars are very similar (after all the Caturra cultivar was used in the development of the Variedad Colombia hybrid, ) there are still subtle differences in these two coffees. I personally find the Variedad Colombia to be slightly more herbal with fruity and caramel notes and the Caturra to be slighlty more fruity and chocolaty. Both coffees are really sweet and clean which is the result of the thorough processing and drying techniques we have developed together with Elias and Bellanid over the years.
In my opinion the 2022 harvest is the best we have ever tasted from Tamana as the coffees have a more pronounced fruity character than in previous years. Since the process and work on the farm is very consistent and have been for many years, it leads me to believe that the weather conditions was most likely the main contributing factor to the increase in quality in 2022.
There are still some Caturra left on the farm and probably always will be, but since the production is very small and the flavour is very similar to the Variedad Colombia we are normally blending the two based on harvest date and quality. Last harvest however was in general a very good season at Finca Tamana and we found that there were several productions of Caturra lots that tasted really good and unique. It made up enough volume so that it made sense to separate them from the Variedad Colombia.
Although the flavour profiles of these two different cultivars are very similar (after all the Caturra cultivar was used in the development of the Variedad Colombia hybrid, ) there are still subtle differences in these two coffees. I personally find the Variedad Colombia to be slightly more herbal with fruity and caramel notes and the Caturra to be slighlty more fruity and chocolaty. Both coffees are really sweet and clean which is the result of the thorough processing and drying techniques we have developed together with Elias and Bellanid over the years.
In my opinion the 2022 harvest is the best we have ever tasted from Tamana as the coffees have a more pronounced fruity character than in previous years. Since the process and work on the farm is very consistent and have been for many years, it leads me to believe that the weather conditions was most likely the main contributing factor to the increase in quality in 2022.
Cultivar
Caturra is a natural dwarf mutation of the Bourbon cultivar. It was discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil sometime between 1915 and 1918. It was until recently the most commonly grown coffee in Colombia due to its good yield potential, quality and ability to be grown in intensive systems with little to no shade.
Unfortunately it is highly susceptible to leaf rust and that is the reason why Cenicafe (the Colombian coffee research institute) started developing a resistant hybrid cultivar back in the late 1960's that became Variedad Colombia. Variedad Colombia was released in the 1980's and is a crossing between Caturra and the Timor Hybrid ( A natural crossing between C. Canephora (Robusta) and C. Arabica.)
Unfortunately it is highly susceptible to leaf rust and that is the reason why Cenicafe (the Colombian coffee research institute) started developing a resistant hybrid cultivar back in the late 1960's that became Variedad Colombia. Variedad Colombia was released in the 1980's and is a crossing between Caturra and the Timor Hybrid ( A natural crossing between C. Canephora (Robusta) and C. Arabica.)
Process
FINCA TAMANA PRODUCTION PROCESS
Picking and sorting
The coffee is selectively hand picked by hired pickers under supervision of Elias. Cherries are hand-sorted before they are processed to make sure only ripe cherries are processed together.Depupling, fermenting & washing
The coffee cherries are stored in the cherry hopper in open air over night before the coffee is de-pulped in the morning. After de-pulping, the parchment coffee with the mucilage on is fermented for 24 hours in clean stainless steel tanks. The fermentation is stopped when the mucilage is easy to clean off and before the coffee flavour is influenced by negative fermentation flavours. The coffee is then washed in clean water by using an eco-mill which is a mechanical mucilage remover. The eco-mill reduces water waste from the average 50-100 litres of water per kilo of coffee with traditional washing methods to only 0,5 – 1 litre per kilo. After washing the coffees are soaked for 24 hours in clean water in tiled cement tanks. All floaters (beans with low density) are removed during the washing and soaking process.
Drying
After the soaking stage the clean parchment coffee is dried in parabolic dryers and drying beds covered with shade nets to prevent the beans from over heating. The coffees are raked throughout the day to ensure even drying. Drying normally takes from 20 to 30 days and once the moisture content is below 11% it gets packed and stored in air tight grain pro bags. All our coffees from Finca Tamana are vacuum packed before it is shipped to Norway.
Shipping
For details on our current shipping information, please visit our FAQ page here.
If you still have any questions, please contact us here.
If you still have any questions, please contact us here.
How To Brew
Filter
We strongly recommend using the correct measurements and brewing techniques when you brew our coffees. Use a digital scale both to measure water and coffee in order to get consistent results, and we recommend using between 60 to 70 grams of coffee per litre (1000g) of water, depending on the brewing method, water quality and coffee used.
Espresso
We strongly recommend using VST filter baskets. Both the 18g, 20g and the 22g basket is great for our coffee. The VST filters makes it a lot easier to extract the espresso properly which gives a lot more sweetness in the cup. They are also more or less identical to each other which makes it easy to be more consistent when brewing on several groups at the same time. You can buy the filters on our webshop, just make sure they fit your machine (ours fits all La Marzocco machines and machines with 58mm filter baskets). With the VST 18g filter basket, we recommend the following brewing parameters: 18-19g freshly-ground coffee, 25-35s brewing time, 35-38g of final brew liquid in the cup, 93°C-94°C brew water temperature.
We strongly recommend using the correct measurements and brewing techniques when you brew our coffees. Use a digital scale both to measure water and coffee in order to get consistent results, and we recommend using between 60 to 70 grams of coffee per litre (1000g) of water, depending on the brewing method, water quality and coffee used.
Espresso
We strongly recommend using VST filter baskets. Both the 18g, 20g and the 22g basket is great for our coffee. The VST filters makes it a lot easier to extract the espresso properly which gives a lot more sweetness in the cup. They are also more or less identical to each other which makes it easy to be more consistent when brewing on several groups at the same time. You can buy the filters on our webshop, just make sure they fit your machine (ours fits all La Marzocco machines and machines with 58mm filter baskets). With the VST 18g filter basket, we recommend the following brewing parameters: 18-19g freshly-ground coffee, 25-35s brewing time, 35-38g of final brew liquid in the cup, 93°C-94°C brew water temperature.
Finca Tamana
We started working with Elias Roa in 2012 and since then we have been working hard, every harvest, to improve the infrastructure at the farm as well as farming and processing practices. I first met Elias back in 2007 when I was traveling around Colombia with my friend and coffee exporter mr. Alejandro Renjifo. The aim of the trip was to find delicious coffees and potential farmers that I could work with to make sure we got a steady supply of tasty coffees from Colombia. While passing through the state of Huila I visited a small group of farmers in Acevedo that was lead by Elias. I remember we drank hot chocolate (!) and ate bread and cheese at his house and Elias gave me an impression of being a passionate and hard working farmer. Later that year I received a few samples from him but unfortunately his coffee was not meeting my quality requirements so nothing really came out of it.
Learn More About Finca Tamana
Transparency
We buy coffee directly from Elias Roa, the farmer. Fairfield Trading, the exporter, provides milling and logistical service and the coffee is imported by ourselves directly to Norway.
Learn More About Transparency