This coffee was grown and processed by Neftalí Castro on his family’s farm, El Diamante (which translates to “the diamond” in Spanish), located near the town and municipality of Cajamarca, in the state of Tolima, Colombia. The 30 hectare property is owned and managed by Neftali and his sisters, who are the third generation to run the farm.

Although eight hectares of El Diamante are planted with coffee, the extremely steep incline of the land requires Neftalí to plant trees 2m x 2m apart, to ease access for harvesting and maintenance — taking the number of trees planted closer to what would traditionally be found on a five hectare plot. 

Generous with his time and resources with fellow producers, Neftalí is considered a leader and role model within his town and a champion for coffee production. His resourcefulness, innovation and adaptability have helped him build El Diamante’s reputation for excellence and inspired many of his neighbours to focus on specialty production. As Neftali shares, “Coffee is my passion. I don’t want to do anything else.”

The coffee in this lot were selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by Neftali and his family. It was processed using the washed method at El Diamante’s ‘micro-beneficio’ (mill).

The freshly picked coffee cherries were pulped using a small manual pulper and then placed into a fermentation tank, where it was fermented for 48-72 hours. Because of the cooler climate in Cajamarca, Neftali was able to blend two to three days’ worth of pickings to extend the coffee’s period of fermentation. Over that time, freshly picked cherry is pulped and added to the mix. This is key, as the fresh mucilage lowers the ferment tank’s pH level and – along with the cooler temperatures – allows for an extended fermentation process. This fermentation process contributes to a vibrant, winey acidity in the coffee’s cup profile. The resulting parchment was then washed using clean water from nearby rivers and streams.

Once washed, the coffee was carefully dried (over 10–18 days) on parabolic beds, which are constructed a bit like a ‘hoop house’ greenhouse, and act to protect the coffee from the rain and prevent condensation dripping back onto the drying beans. The greenhouse is constructed out of plastic sheets and have adjustable walls to help with airflow, and temperature control to ensure the coffee can dry slowly and evenly.