This is by far the most exciting coffee blurb I've ever written, for me that is.
Some people go on holiday to get away from work, they send postcards and return rested and rejuvenated. I went on holiday to Colombia, I couldn't help but do some work out there, so instead of postcards this is what I sent back... some absolute blinder coffees!
This one we bought when visiting Caravela's facility in Bogota. It was such a wicked day! Me and my partner Jess turned up all sweaty and mosquito bitten after a couple of days out in Choachi. It was jokes, we looked like a couple of kids on their way home from a festival walking in to the cool (air conned) professional building. They had done us a bloody welcome sign with the Cuppers logo on it, it was instantly apparent that it was time to switch the old "I'm a serious guys representing a serious business" vibe on. Damn I wish I had nicer clothes.
Juan hosted us for the visit, he's a lovely dude, very enthusiastic. He made us feel comfortable by presenting us with a bunch of weird Christmas delicacies, they were mostly good, apart from the caramel yoghurt blancmange thing which didn't make me feel comfortable at all. We felt like royalty, which I think was by design, because it would soon be time to spend some money on the business.
We cupped about 12 coffees with Juan and the QC team. I have to admit I was pretty nervous in the room. It felt like the kind of "fake it till you make it" industry imposter complex I have was about to be put to the test, with massive embarrassment a potential outcome. In contrast, my partner Jess who works in Law was just happy to be tasting some nice coffees, she was comparatively less sweaty for sure.
Most of the table was fire tbh, serious bangers, but this was just the one! I loved it, and could see on the faces of everyone there that it was blowing minds. I just said yeah, we'll take all of that please. If they'd said it was stupidly expensive I'd have still bought it and died on that rock, but it was just a bit expensive in the end, so we all went out for sushi to celebrate.
Funny thing that I didn't realise... we bought a Honey Pink Bourbon from Edilma Rodriguez a couple of years back. Without realising it we'd just committed to getting her brother's version.
Here's some stuff on the coffee and producer that has nothing to do with my holiday:
Linarco Rodríguez was born into coffee. Growing up in the hills of Palestina, he spent his days alongside his parents, learning the rhythms of the farm, the weight of ripe cherries in his hands, and the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. At one point, he had his sights set on business school in the capital, but in the end, the pull of coffee was stronger. Instead of leaving, he built something of his own, turning his family’s land into a thriving coffee business.
For Linarco, coffee is a family affair. Everyone plays a role, from harvest to drying, and at the end of the day, they gather in the kitchen, sharing stories over steaming cups of their own coffee. His father laid the foundation, and now, the whole family works to keep the dream alive.
Processing is hands-on and deliberate. Cherries are selectively picked, then fermented for 18 hours in harvest bags at the farm’s wet mill. From there, they’re pulped without water and undergo 60–72 hours of anaerobic fermentation in sealed plastic bins. A light wash follows, before resting 8 hours to drain. Drying takes 20–22 days, carefully managed to lock in flavor and clarity. Once stabilized in GrainPro bags for 15–20 days, the coffee makes its way to Caravela’s purchasing station in Palestina.
It’s a methodical, dialed-in process—but more than that, it’s a legacy in motion.
