Colombia El Tambo

TASTING NOTES
Toffee, chocolate and fig layered with mellow brown sugar sweetness and soft nutmeg spice, carried by a smooth full body and citrus acidity.

ORIGIN
El Tambo, Cauca, Colombia

HEIGHT
1500 - 1900 MASL

VARIETAL
Castillo, Colombia

PROCESS
Washed (double fermentation)

PRODUCER
El Tambo smallholder producers part of Women's Association ASMUCAFE 

ABOUT ME
In the mountains of Cauca’s El Tambo region, a group of women producers are quietly building something much bigger than coffee.

ASMUCAFE - Asociación de Mujeres Agropecuarias de Uribe - is a co-operative made up of women farmers and landowners working together to improve life for their families and wider community through coffee. Built on values of responsibility, honesty, commitment and solidarity, the association shares knowledge, resources and support amongst its members, creating opportunities that extend far beyond the farm itself.

A special premium paid on top of this coffee goes directly back into projects focused on female empowerment within the co-operative, helping strengthen the future of women producers in one of Colombia’s most important coffee-growing regions.

The coffee itself is grown across the rich volcanic landscapes of western Cauca, where high elevations, regular rainfall and cool mountain conditions create an ideal environment for quality coffee production. Most farms here are smallholdings, often worked by families using mixed farming techniques to diversify their income.

Made up of Castillo and Colombia varieties, the coffee is picked as deep purple and bright red cherry before undergoing a distinctive double fermentation process. Cherries first rest in loading hoppers for around 14 hours before being depulped and transferred into traditional open fermentation tanks for another 10 hours. The parchment is then washed several times before drying slowly under the sun or in parabolic dryers for 8–12 days.

It’s still very much a washed coffee at heart - clean, structured and sweet - but that extended fermentation brings an extra layer of depth and character to the cup.

The result is a comforting and expressive coffee with notes of toffee, chocolate and fig, layered with mellow brown sugar sweetness and soft nutmeg spice, carried by a smooth full body and citrus acidity.

¡Gracias a todas las doñas de ASMUCAFE!

BREW GUIDES

We recommend the following recipes as a starting points: 

Espresso
Dose: 21 grams  
Brew temperature: 94ºC
Bar Pressure: 8.5 
Brew time: 25 - 32 sec  
Brew weight: 42 grams 
Brew Ratio: 1:2

Pour Over
Brew temperature: 94ºC
18g in 324ml out (1:18 brew ratio)

Espresso recipe developed on a La Marzocco Linea using 20g baskets and should be taken as a starting point, not set in stone as different machines extract in different ways.

Pour Over recipe developed using Hario v60 and dry (not pre-wet) filter paper. Have fun experimenting.