Colombia Aponte

Country/Region: Colombia/Nariño

Varietal: Caturra

Processing: Honey

Elevation: 1700 - 1800 m.a.s.l.

We Taste: Red Apple, Honey, Yellow Plum

This coffee was produced by smallholders in the town of Aponte, located in the North-West mountains of Nariño, Colombia. Aponte is home to the Inga people, an indigenous group with roots in the ancient Inca civilisation. They continue to wear traditional garments and speak in the local Inza language, derived from the pre-colonial language of the Incas.

The rural location meant that Aponte was isolated from the rest of Colombia, and until the 1990s, it was forcibly involved in poppy and coca production by guerrilla groups and paramilitaries. In the last decade, illegal crops were eradicated to make way for coffee plantations.

The high elevation and neighbouring volcanos creates a unique environment for coffee production, with warm tropical days and cold nights. This slows cherry maturation, resulting in a sweet and complex cup profile.

Producers from Aponte process coffee on their own properties in small quantities and handpicking ripe cherries over several passes. The cherry is then pulped by hand and laid to dry, with its sticky mucilage layer looking like honey, hence its name.

The drying is done with solar dryers which typically look like greenhouses, with trays of coffee in layers. The trays are rotated for even drying, and each tray is turned regularly.