It feels as if there has been a veritable explosion of interest in specialty Colombian coffee in South Africa, of late. There are many contributing factors. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, Colombia has one of the most sophisticated industries on the planet and a heritage of producing some of the best specialty coffee in the world; that has been true for a long time. This, coupled with an active pursuit of innovation, whether that is with processing or farming techniques, has meant that Colombian coffee has more than earned its big global reputation.

There is more at play in recent years, however, particularly from the perspective of the South African coffee drinker. We've noticed that many of our roasting partners have been very keen to buy, roast and share some of the quirkier lots coming out of Colombia. Cedar has certainly been at the forefront of this trend from day one. This has been facilitated by the great work done to source these special lots by importer Sabores, and others of its type. Lovers of high-quality and unique coffees have really benefited from the efforts and expansion of the industry.

In a world of rare varieties, anaerobic fermentations, and even co-fermentations, it may be easy to forget what the reputation of Colombian coffee was originally built on: great (somewhat old-fashioned) washed coffee. This lot should serve as a good reminder of why so many of us fell in love with Colombian coffee when much of it was processed in a simple, relatively similar, albeit meticulously executed, fashion. This bodes to be just such a classic.

Phaedon's tasting notes

I have a funny story about this coffee. You could say we went on an aromatic journey together. I had my first taste, a V60 pour-over, soon after I received my sample bag. It was beautifully balanced and classic in profile. It had nutty notes, hints of chocolate, lots of sweetness and a subtle but enjoyable brightness. Then, I got the flu; I don't blame the coffee.

A few days later, my next taste just didn't taste like the same coffee. It had a weird overripe fruit flavour. I didn't enjoy it, but more importantly, I couldn't believe it was the same coffee. Well, it turns out that sinusitis can seriously warp your olfactory sense. It wasn't the coffee; it was me.

There was a happy ending though: about a week later, it was this coffee that showed me that I was finally over whatever viral infection I had. The flavour in the cup (and lack of phantom fruit notes) was just what I needed. It was nutty; it was chocolatey; it was sweet; it was malty; it was delicious. It was a massive relief as I'd started worrying that I would never got my sense of smell back to normal (which would have been a big problem given my chosen vocation).

You may not experience quite the emotion that I did when I rediscovered this coffee's true flavour profile, but I promise you that it will put a smile on your face, especially if you make it with a V60, pour-over, siphon, batch brewer or espresso machine.

Cedar's notes

• Cup Profile: Red apple, lemonade, brazil nut, English toffee

We picked up red apple notes with quite the unusual lemonade taste which would describe the acidity coming through. Espresso was hard to really nail flavour notes on where we picked up more on the texture of the drink, bright acidity and subtle notes of brazil nuts. The milk beverage was the stand out with high sweetness and notes of English Toffee.

Coffee details from Cedar

Finca Milan is a farm with quite a long heritage. It was founded 40 years ago and passed down through the generations. Currently run by 3rd generation farmer Julio Madrid after his father Rafael passed on all his farming knowledge, Julio sought to change their traditional ways. He would combine his learning of traditional farming with innovative processing practices on Finca Milan offering a wider variety of coffees such as Naturals, Honeys, and even Cultured Coffees.

This time out we didn't venture into any experimental lots on this farm. The coffee we present to you is a washed processed Castillo. This coffee went through quite a long fermentation and drying process; 18hr aerobically fermented and then a 20 day drying process. Although this is a traditional washed coffee, the long fermentation and drying phase definitely added some complexity to the cup.

• Farm: Finca Milan
• Producer: Julio Cesar Madrid
• Region: Risaralda
• Country: Colombia
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1400-1600 masl
• Variety: Castillo

You can find more coffees from Cedar here.