Tastes like: grapefruit, root beer, strawberries & cream

PROCESS: Washed

REGION: Huila

VARIETAL: Pink Bourbon Blend

ELEVATION: 1600m - 1800m

Introducing a new addition to our Colombian origin project. And let us tell you, this one is special. "Pita," as we are calling it in house, has a full and wonderfully floral body, and exhibits other-origin like qualities with bountiful fruit notes and exemplar citrus blends. This coffee is a beauty in the cup, and on the mind.

More from our friends at Azahar here! “Across the coffee-growing countries of Latin America, an itinerant, rarely acknowledged workforce chases the harvest from farm to farm. Many of them are refugees displaced by calamities such as the civil war in Colombia or the economic crisis in Venezuela. Their job is to pick coffee in exchange for food, shelter, and piece wages (e.g. cash per kilogram harvested). Droves of these pickers are leaving the region altogether, seeking more stable and remunerative employment in the U.S. This compounds the challenges faced by smallholder farmers, leaving them without access to skilled labor at critical moments of their harvest. Furthermore, these critical moments have become harder to plan for in the face of a changing climate. At best, their quality suffers; at worst, they lose their crop.

In 2017, Azahar created the “Pickers Project” with the threefold goal of ending worker exploitation in coffee, solving farmers’ labor issues, and improving quality. Its Colombian foundation, Manos al Grano, now trains a team of fulltime pickers, which it deploys to its partner farmers. It pays them salaries with the same benefits its employees are entitled to, something virtually unheard of in the world of picking coffee.1This is our seventh season working with Azahar; all to find some of the best Colombian lots to share. What makes this series special is not just the great coffee, but the great people who work to support its journey from seed to cup. Azahar has been working tirelessly on a sustainable business model of sorts, which allows growers like Jose so much more room to lead the way in a direction we can all be proud of. From sustainability, environmental impact, all the way to improvements on the farms, mills and personal lives of these farmers. Buying a coffee like this one helps to ensure great coffees in the future, and better lives for the families who help bring them to us now.

Now you see?! We are really excited to share this coffee with you, looking forward to hearing your feedback.

gncr