Variety: Castillo

Elevation: 1900 MASL

Process: Washed

Region: Pasto, Nariño

This is our first harvest purchasing coffee from Jorge Hernando. His farm, Finca Madrigal, is located in Pasto the regional capitol of Nariño where he cultivates Castillo coffee trees. We are proud to have purchased and now offer Jorge’s most recent Castillo harvest.

The coffee is bursting with notes of plum and nectarine accompanied with a syrupy honey-like sweetness.

More from Azahar Coffee on Jorge Hernando and his farm:

Jorge Hernando Insuasty Ortiz is a coffee grower from the department of Nariño, one of the most sought- after specialty coffee origins in the world. His finca Madrigal is located in the municipality of Pasto, the re- gional capital, in the township or vereda of San Antonio, where he looks after 5 hectares of land. Jorge grows the Castillo variety, a variety known for its delicate sweetness and enjoyable acidity.

Finca Madrigal sits at 1,900 m.a.s.l. After the Castillo cherry has ripened on the tree, local pickers carefully carry out the hand selection of the cherry making sure to collect only the ripest fruit. Once the harvest comes in from the cafetal or field, Jorge carries out the post-collection processing or beneficio. The coffee is de- pulped, and dry fermented in a ceramic-lined tank for 16 to 26 hours, after which the beans are washed and put out to dry in parabolic-style greenhouse dryer for approximately 8 days. Jorge then delivers his parch- ment to the Café Occidente Cooperatives main point of sale and bodega, which is located in the nearby, capi- tal city of San Juan de Pasto, a scenic city known for its many universities and proximity to the semi-active Galeras Volcano.

This exquisite cup is a wonderful example of what the Castillo variety can showcase, as the resulting cup has notes of maple syrup, grape juice and roses.