The small town of Pijao is located in Quindio, a mountainous section of the Colombian coffee growing region, also known as Eje Cafetero. Once at the epicentre of armed conflict in Colombia, today Pijao’s culture is rich in architecture, dance and music.
Hailing from a long line of coffee farmers, brothers Felipe and Carlos Arcila purchased Jardines del Edén recently and have since planted a range of some of the world’s most exciting and sought-after coffee varietals.
The lot was processed using a combination of honey and anaerobic fermentation. Kicking off with a 72 hour anaerobic fermentation, CO2, wine yeast and strawberries are added to the tanks holding the coffee. The cherries are then de-pulped without washing and placed in drying beds where the temperature is kept below 35°C until they reach the ideal humidity level. Some of the sticky golden fruit remains on the coffee bean, reminiscent of honey, which is where the process gets its name.
The unusual and distinct combination of flavour notes transports you to a hazy summer’s day, with fields of floral jasmine, highs of coriander seeds, a dollop of strawberry ice cream and rhubarb custard candy.
As the fourth largest country in South America, and the third largest coffee producer in the world, there is no mistaking Colombia’s presence in not only scale, but also skill. The country offers a landscape of contrasts; mountains, forests, coastlines, and micro-climates that work to produce some of the world’s most recognisable coffee.
Once the world’s largest producer of washed coffees, Colombia has had to re-energise the coffee sector after a 2009 case of Leaf Rust decimate much of the production. Thanks to large investment, disease resistant varietals of coffee trees have been planted, and volume has increased from a low of around 7.5million bags to over 12 million in 5 years. Colombia used to produce only washed Arabica coffee, from three main geographical areas trisected by the Andes mountain range. Regional coffees have become increasingly popular and are demonstrable of the distinct flavour profiles available throughout the nation. Coffees are typically mild bodied (hence the categorising term ‘Colombia Milds’), with crisp acidity and citric sweetness.
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