Colombia is one of the largest coffee producing countries by volume, but more than that, it also has particular notoriety for being the origin of numerous delicious specialty lots. Due to its ideal growing conditions and expert farmers and producers, some of the best coffee in the world comes from Colombia. Our friends at Cedar Coffee Roasters have recently been treating us to quite a few delicious high-end Colombian lots, one of their specialties. This latest release comes from Finca El Progreso, an 80-year-old coffee farm owned by expert 4th generation farmer and producer Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia. Some might remember last year's delicious offering from the same place.

Of the six coffee farms Sanchez Valencia owns, El Progreso is especially important: it’s where the Sanchez Valencia family was born and raised, and where their rise to prominence in Colombia’s coffee industry began. Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia has been passionate about coffee since he was just 15 and now, at 35, he’s one of the most famous producers in Colombia.

El Progreso is located near Palestina, a small municipality located in Huila, one of Colombia’s most celebrated coffee-producing regions. Thanks to its proximity to the Andean mountain range, Huila offers the high altitudes, temperate climate and nutrient-rich soil necessary for farming specialty-grade Arabica coffee. 

Though El Progreso cultivates numerous diverse coffee varieties, including Gesha, and is fitted with all the tools and facilities necessary for cutting-edge processing methods, this particular batch is a washed lot of Caturra and Bourbon, varieties as commonly-known as they are celebrated in the specialty coffee space.

While they can be a little traditional for the more adventurous palate, washed Colombian lots are nevertheless particularly beloved in the world of specialty coffees, and are typically full-bodied, balanced and sweet.

Phaedon's tasting notes

This is a lovely coffee. It may not be one of the wild, weird & wonderful alternative processes from Colombia that we often hear about these days, but it makes a deliciously, clean, balanced and enjoyable cup. I picked up a brown sugar sweetness and a bright acidity that lingered on my palate, particularly in my siphon and French press brews. I also picked up a note of Marzipan in the latter.

Cedar’s notes

“On filter, this coffee opens with bright, zesty notes of orange layered over soft brown sugar sweetness. It’s a clean and well-structured cup, the kind of cup you come back to every morning. On espresso, we picked up more tropical and juicy notes such as mango and pineapple. In milk, it softens into something rich and nostalgic think of the Rolo chocolate with that caramel centre.”

• Cup profile: Orange, brown sugar, Rolo Chocolate

Coffee details from Cedar

"We're proud to bring back a coffee that left a lasting impression the first time around, the Caturra Bourbon Washed lot from Finca El Progreso. This is our second time showcasing this coffee, and it's every bit as tasty as we remembered. Finca El Progreso is a 23-hectare, family-run farm with deep roots in coffee cultivation. Rodrigo and Claudia have built their name on precision processing and constant curiosity, cultivating premium varieties like Gesha, Pink Bourbon, Pacamara, Purple and Red Caturra, and always pushing quality forward.

This particular lot, a washed Caturra Bourbon blend, is part of a seed lineage discovered in Palestina in 2009. It grows at 1,730 masl in a climate that ranges from 16–22°C — ideal conditions for slow cherry maturation and bright, complex coffees.

The processing is meticulous. Cherries are selectively harvested at peak ripeness, measured between 24° and 28° Brix with a pH of 5.6–5.9. After pulping, the coffee undergoes a 34-hour fermentation in tanks, followed by careful washing and slow drying over 18–22 days on parabolic beds. The farm’s infrastructure also includes a cold fermentation room held at 10–14°C — a rare feature in Colombia that gives Rodrigo even more control over flavour development. "

• Farm: Finca El Progreso
• Producer: Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia
• Country: Colombia
• Region: Pitalito, Huila
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1700 masl
• Variety: Caturra, Bourbon