Finca Buenos Aires | Colombia

Origin Country: Colombia – Huila, Palestina
Farm: Finca Buenos Aires – Oscar Alvarado
Cultivar: Geisha
Processing: Anaerobic Washed Fermentation with Grape Must
Altitude:1750–1800 Masl
Flavor Notes: Grape, Mango, Honey, Floral
Roast: Omni

This Geisha is, above all, sweet! Especially as a pour-over, you can expect a very sweet and clean cup with a grape-like liveliness and a complex floral aroma. The aftertaste has a lavender-like character.

Oscar Alvarado is a dedicated coffee producer who is not working alone in his efforts. On his farm, Finca Buenos Aires, in Pitalito, Huila—where more and more farmers are turning to specialty coffee production as a way to improve their living conditions—Oscar receives support from the Cooperativa Departamental de Caficultores del Huila (Cadefihuila). Founded in 1963, Cadefihuila has more than 3,800 member producers, 43 coffee collection centers, and 36 retail outlets where farmers can purchase fertilizers and other supplies. Its widespread presence is especially important since the geography of Huila is mountainous, and many farms are remote with poorly maintained roads. By offering easier access points for its members, farmers can spend more time on their farms and less time and money transporting their coffee to the nearest market. By making the cooperative accessible to such a broad network of farmers, it expands their options for delivering their coffee. More options mean more competition, which can help increase the prices farmers receive.

In Pitalito, Oscar Alvarado cultivates his coffee plants on fertile volcanic soil. The altitude of 1,750–1,800 meters provides ideal growing conditions with warm days and cool nights. In addition to coffee, Oscar also grows cassava, which provides both food and additional income.

The region around Pitalito is especially well known for producing specialty coffee. Alongside common varieties like Castillo and Caturra, exotic coffee cultivars are also grown, which thrive particularly well at this elevation. The gentle rolling hills make farming easier, in contrast to the steep slopes found in other Colombian coffee-growing regions.

Most coffee farmers in Pitalito manage small farms of less than three hectares, with almost all the work done by the families themselves. This allows them to closely control the quality of their coffee. With pride and passion, they use intensive cultivation methods that yield top-quality coffee.