Caturra was one of our favorite varieties over a decade ago, but it has become increasingly difficult to find. We were glad to discover this exciting lot through this year’s Copa de Oro competition. In the cup we find green papaya, pomegranate, and citrus.
Caturra
Tarqui, Huila
2,000 masl
December, 2024
Hand-picked at peak ripeness. Floated to further remove defects. Fermented for 30 hours. De-pulped, then dry-fermented in parchment for an additional 48 hours. Washed. Dried on raised beds for 20-25 days.
ABOUT NEMESIO RAMOS
Of all the places in Colombia, Tarqui has produced the best Caturra we have tasted in the last five years. There are likely many contributing factors—some still unknown to us—but a few stand out. The region’s unique microclimate brings extremely cold nights and warm days, and the remoteness of these farms makes them difficult to access. We believe this isolation may be helping preserve the integrity of Caturra genetics over time.
ABOUT CATURRA
Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. It was discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil sometime between 1915 and 1918. Today, it is one of the most economically important coffees in Central America, to the extent that it is often used as a benchmark against which new cultivars are tested. In Colombia, Caturra was thought to represent nearly half of the country’s production before a government-sponsored program beginning in 2008 incentivized renovation of over three billion coffee trees with the leaf rust resistant Castillo variety (which has Caturra parentage).
Pricing Details
Farm Gate (Local; Parchment)
6.5MM COP/Carga
Farm Gate (USD; Green)
~$16.69/KG
FOB
$26.42/KG
FOT
$31.20/KG
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.