Colombia Finca La Estrella

ORIGIN // Planadas, Tolima, Colombia

IMPORTER // Cereza Coffee

ALTITUDE // 1,800 masl

VARIETIES // Tabi (Timor+Bourbon and Timor+Typica Hybrids)

PROCESSING METHOD // Natural

TASTE NOTES // Floral, Dark Chocolate, Canned Mandarin Oranges

One thing that Colombia is never short on is experimentation. Be it with exotic processing, new ways of cultivating crops, or genetically producing coffee varieties that are both more productive and yield better cup quality. That is the overall story of this microlot from Planadas, Tolima.

The variety known as “Tabi” is a project that the Colombia Coffee Federation has been working on since the 1990s. The idea of “hybrid” or “genetically modified” sounds a little scary to the American consumer, but really, it’s a simple idea. You have one variety that produces a TON of cherry and is resistant to disease but doesn’t taste as good. You have another variety that is super flavorful in the cup but is less resistant to disease and doesn’t produce as much coffee per tree. Take flowers and cross the variety that produces a lot with the variety that tastes good. Create seeds. Grow some plants. Isolate similar types. Repeat for several iterations.

That’s the idea behind Tabi. It’s a variety that was made by cross breeding a Timor Hybrid (one that is relatively resistant to disease and produces a lot of fruit) with two different varieties: Bourbon and Typica, both of which consistently yield top cupping quality notes. The two subvarieties (Timor+Bourbon and Timor+Typica) were grown side by side with their counterparts (Typica and Bourbon) in several different regions, and after several generations, found that not only did the Tabi yield MORE coffee, but it also consistently had a higher cup quality than either Bourbon or Typica.

You don’t see much Tabi growing yet, but it’s still new. And when you cup one, you can tell that it’s something special.

This lot comes from Producer Yinyini Alverez, owner of Finca La Estrella, located in Planadas, Tolima, Colombia. It’s a natural process lot that is double sorted, fermented in grainpro bags, and allowed to dry on beds until it’s stable.

In the brew, we feel like we’re chewing on a handful of fresh berries, especially fresh blackberries. The finish reminds us of a 70% dark chocolate with a slight nuttiness. The finish is slightly floral and spicy, reminiscent of cracked coriander seed.