Calderas - Inza Cauca, COLOMBIA
Country: Colombia
Region: Inza
Process: Washed
Varietal: Mixed
Altitude: 1800-2000
Flavour Note: Apple, red currant, and raisin with a juicy crisp body and toffee finish.
Strength: Medium
The Municipality of Inza in Cauca is an area of land that sits high on a Colombian plateau called the 'Macizo Colombiano'. This area is perfect for growing specialty coffee as altitudes reach over 2000 masl. Inzá is mostly known for its indigenous history and coffee. Its history goes back to 1577 when a Spaniard, Sancho García de Espino, established the camp where Inzá is today. In 1737 the Jesuits built a church and since that moment the whole town started growing into streets and houses; being recognized by the Colombian government as a municipality in 1907.
The municipality has around 30,000 inhabitants many of which are coffee growers working on less than 1 ha in size. The traditional varieties in this area are Tabi, Castillo, Colombia, and Caturra.
This coffee comes from the Calderas indigenous reserve area where during the harvest they pick ripe cherries throughout the harvest with their families on the small plots of land. Each farm is about 2ha in size with on average about 0.9ha planted with coffee. This group consists of 80 producers in total.
Once picked the coffee is then pulped and then left to ferment overnight for 12 - 18 hours. The coffee is then floated to remove immature and then taken to either parabolic tents or dried on roof patios. The coffee dries for 8 - 14 days depending on the weather.
From here the samples are then sent to our partner company Siruma based in Manizales. The samples were assessed and tested for their physical specifications and cup quality. The coffees were then identified as a micro lot or to be added as part of a Calderas blend. The micro lots received a premium for their better cup scores.
