Climpson & Sons - Seasonal Espresso - Summer 2017 V1 - Colombia

Flavours of Black cherry, Brown Sugar, Raisin.

Summer is here and what better way to celebrate than with the latest addition of our Seasonal Espresso. Our latest and greatest coffee is super sweet and balanced, travelling all the way from the region of Tolima in Colombia.

Our goal with the seasonal espresso is to develop fantastic and innovative single origin roasts that work well with shorter milk drinks, but are talking points as espresso.

We've been witness to some truly extraordinary coffees in the seasonal espresso; our continued emphasis on farm-to-roaster relationships ensures we see the best quality, seasonal coffees coming from the same farms ever year.

Tolima is located in the Andean region, in the center-west of the country. Their closeness to the equator and the diversification of micro-climates has led to remarkable agricultural development. Tolima is the number-one rice and sesame producer in the country, as well as a number of coffee farms that have a continued harvest all year around.

We have chosen this coffee from a group of 58 coffee growers known as the Asociación de Productores de Café Especial del Alto Saldana (or for the non-Spanish speakers the Association of Specialty Coffee Growers of Alto Saldana). The average farm size is only 4.5 hectares and is a combination of Caturra, Colombia and Castillo varietals. The cherries are washed and pass through a detailed sorting process after drying.

Tolima has been cited as having among the highest incidences of rural poverty in Colombia. And yet they have some of the finest coffees. Traditionally, working with these regions has posed several challenges due to years of social conflict which has resulted in displacement and logistical difficulties. Despite this, coffee has become an opportunity for economic development in these areas with more and more growers showing an interest in quality improvement. With exporters offering attractive price premiums for specialty lots, alongside in-depth advice and feedback throughout the harvest period, smallholder growers are increasingly attracted to this part of the industry to improve their processing and access better prices.

Brewing - Matt says:

Try an espresso brew ratio of 1:2.2 to bring out a lip-smackingly sweet, black cherry note to the espresso. This sweetness is softened in milk, giving the drink a cherry bakewell cake note. Perfect for a sunny morning flattie!