Colombia El Diamante

Nothing beats the classics. Colombia is a coffee producing country that’s on the cutting edge of modern processing methods and the wildest of flavours. And yet, we keep returning to the classics. Here’s El Diamante, classic and truly unbeatable. 

This coffee was grown and processed by Neftalí Castro on his family’s farm, El Diamante (which translates to “the diamond” in Spanish), located near the town and municipality of Cajamarca, in the state of Tolima, Colombia. The 30 hectare property is owned and managed by Neftalí and his sisters, who are the third generation to run the farm.

When the farm was first established, the family planted plantain, green beans, potatoes and a local root vegetable called arrachacha. They also kept a small plot of Typica trees, but coffee was neither a priority nor an important source of income. This changed in 2008, when Neftalí, the youngest of the siblings, decided to return to his family farm and take over its management, after many years working as a mechanic in Tolima’s capital, Ibagué.

The coffee in this lot were selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by Neftali and his family. It was processed using the washed method at El Diamante’s ‘micro-beneficio’ (mill).

The freshly picked coffee cherries were pulped using a small manual pulper and then placed into a fermentation tank, where it was fermented for 48-72 hours. Because of the cooler climate in Cajamarca, Neftali was able to blend two to three days’ worth of pickings to extend the coffee’s period of fermentation. Over that time, freshly picked cherry is pulped and added to the mix. This is key, as the fresh mucilage lowers the ferment tank’s pH level and – along with the cooler temperatures – allows for an extended fermentation process. This fermentation process contributes to a vibrant, winey acidity in the coffee’s cup profile. The resulting parchment was then washed using clean water from nearby rivers and streams.

Once washed, the coffee was carefully dried (over 10–18 days) on parabolic beds, which are constructed a bit like a ‘hoop house’ greenhouse, and act to protect the coffee from the rain and prevent condensation dripping back onto the drying beans. The greenhouse is constructed out of plastic sheets and have adjustable walls to help with airflow, and temperature control to ensure the coffee can dry slowly and evenly.

First sip, red apple sweetness paired with the vibrancy and juicy acidity of red currant. Can’t get any more classic with a Washed Colombian. The sensory experience leads to the complex yet unmistakeable note of pomegranate juice, cradled with the intense sweetness of clean demerara sugar. Classic.