Colombia Urrao Valle de Penderisco

Cupping Notes:

Region: Penderisco, Urrao, Antioquia
Variety: Caturra, Variedad Colombia, Typica
Altitude: ~1900+ masl
Processing: Wet Process (Washed)
Certification: Farm Gate

Farm Description:

The uniqueness of Valle de Penderisco is apparent as soon as you crest the surrounding hillside and begin your descent. For one, unlike most of my experiences driving around Colombia, the valley and the road that travels through it are completely flat...and straight (I'm talking for miles!). I swear, none of the country roads are anything close to straight in Colombia, including the highway leading to Urrao and the Penderisco Valley! Tightly-wound curves wrap the hillsides making the most stable stomachs slowly edge toward queazy. The valley floor is just above 1900 meters, so all of the coffee in this region is "high grown". Cold water springs and cool temperatures make for slightly longer fermentation times, which often results in fruit-forward cup characteristics that we generally think to be atypical for Colombia. The profiles can be bit "exotic", fruited flavor notes run the range of dried to winey, but remain very sweet and without the alcohol characteristics that come with over-fermented coffees. On the contrary, these coffees from Urrao have big sweetness, are "clean" and with just enough acidity to prop up the sometimes fruit-focused cup profiles. This coffee is the result of an effort spearheaded by an intermediary we work with in Medellín who have been buying coffee from local farmers in Urrao the past several years, offering high premiums to separate out the best coffees.  It's extra work to do this, but the farmer is compensated with prices well above what's being paid by the local cooperative, 2x plus in the case of the top tier. This year they are building their own warehouse and coffee lab at the edge of Urrao town where they will have someone buying coffee full time throughout the harvest season in order to give their coffee project visibility which we expect will expand available microlot volumes.

Description from Coffee Shrub.