Dark roasted coffee with notes of golden raisin, dark chocolate, toffee
 
Country:: Colombia
Region:: Cauca
Variety:: Castillo, Caturra, Colombia
Processing Method:: Washed
Regional Select
 
Colombia Varietal and Region Information
 
Regionality 
Colombia’s size alone certainly contributes to the different profiles that its 20 coffee-growing departments (out of a total 32) express in the cup, but even within growing regions there are plentiful variations due to the microclimates created by mountainous terrain, wind patterns, proximity to the Equator, and, of course, differences in varieties and processing techniques.
The country’s northern regions (e.g. Santa Marta and Santander) with their higher temperatures and lower altitudes, offer full-bodied coffees with less brightness and snap; the central “coffee belt” of Antioquia, Caldas, and Quindio among others, where the bulk of the country’s production lies, produce those easy-drinking “breakfast blend” types, with soft nuttiness and big sweetness but low acidity. The southwestern departments of Nariño, Cauca, and Huila tend to have higher altitude farms, which comes through in more complex acidity and heightened florality in the profiles.
 
Regional Select
     The Regional Select program was created to highlight the unique profiles that are found 
in the inherent various microclimates of the many countries from which the green coffees are sourced. Local variables like wind patterns, soil quality, sunlight, elevation, and other environmental influencers have much to do with the common characteristics that separate, say, a Northern Colombian from a Southern Colombian coffee, just as they inform the differences between a Colombian and a Kenyan coffee.
     Regional Select offerings, are sourced based on cup quality and character, seeking a balance of “taste of place” with availability and price. These lots are built as blends from coffees that cup out between 84–87 on our 100-point cupping scale, and come with regional and often microregional traceability, but are not farm- or producer-specific. 
     Coffees from Cauca benefit from high elevation, cool nights, good varieties, and intentional husbandry. We look for lots that have tangy acidity and a balance of sweetness, with a backbone of caramel or cocoa.
 
Varietal
Colombia
Derivation:: Catimor type (Caturra x Timor Hybrid)
Location of Origin:: Colombia
Origin Story:: Developed as a disease-resistant, productive hybrid by Cenicafe (1968–1982); released 1985. One of the earliest Catimors
 
Caturra
Derivation:: Bourbon related
Location of Origin:: Brazil
Origin Story:: Naturally occurring dwarf Bourbon mutation discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil (1915–1918) and later selected for cultivation (1937)
 
Castillo
Derivation:: F10 Variedad Colombia x Caturra
Location of Origin:: Colombia, general
Origin Story:: Developed by Cenicafe to replace the no-longer-leaf-rust-resistant Variedad Colombia; released 2005
(information from Cafe Imports)