Colombia, Finca El Rosal, Washed

Wilmer Cubillos is a first-generation coffee producer with a clear ambition: to grow distinctive coffees that deserve recognition beyond Colombia. He purchased Finca El Rosal in 2006 and lives there with his wife and youngest son. From the beginning, his focus has been on careful cultivation, precise processing and building a sustainable future through quality.

Finca El Rosal is located in El Rosario, Acevedo, in the southern Colombian region of Huila. The 10.5-hectare farm lies at 1,650 metres above sea level. At this elevation, warm days and cooler nights help the coffee cherries develop slowly, contributing to their density and sweetness.

This particular lot is composed entirely of Tabi. Developed by Cenicafé and released in 2002, Tabi is a cross between Typica, Bourbon and Timor Hybrid. The variety combines resistance to coffee leaf rust with the high cup quality associated with Typica and Bourbon. Its name means “good” in Guambiano, the language of an Indigenous Colombian community.

Wilmer continues to invest in every stage of production. He uses a shaker to separate the parchment and has lined his fermentation tanks with slab plating, helping to prevent unwanted flavours from developing during processing. His next goal is to improve the farm’s drying infrastructure by constructing raised drying beds.

For this fully washed lot, freshly picked cherries are fermented in sacks for 18 hours before being pulped. The coffee then undergoes a second fermentation of six hours in tanks. After washing with clean water, the parchment is laid out to dry and turned frequently to ensure a slow and even result.

The result is a clean and carefully processed expression of Tabi, highlighting the variety rather than the fermentation. A coffee shaped by altitude, precision and Wilmer’s determination to give the work at Finca El Rosal the attention it deserves.

This coffee was sourced through our importing partner Sucafina.