Colombian Coffee Bean Farm & Specialty Roaster Guide

The small town of Monte Bonito

On the road between Manizales and Honda sits a small town called Monte Bonito which borders the slopes of the Cerro Bravo and has a population of less than a thousan people.

This small town still holds onto the traditions of the campesinos (farmers) and allows a view into the history of life as farmers in the high Andes of Colombia.

This town has a tumultuous history being heavily affected by the civil war; three times it was taken over by the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia).

Most of the coffee growers from this region are very small, with only 1-3 hectres of land and 89 associates in the group. Each grower is responsible for the full management of the farm, only asking neighbours for help when they need it.

During the harvest, the coffee is picked, depulped and then left to ferment for 16-18 hours. The next day, the coffee is then washed and is ready for drying. Some growers have what’s called “Eldas”, which is where the green beans are dried on the roof of the house, others have “carros quindianos”, which are drying beds with a rail system, while the rest have parabolic tents for drying the coffee for 10-14 days, depending on the climate.

After the green beans have dried, the coffee will be delivered to the Manizales Cooperative collection point in the town. Here, the beans are assessed and separated according to the quality, the farmers receive a higher payment for high quality. The coffee will then be taken to Manizales where it is stored, milled and prepped for shipment.

Brewing our Colombia, Monte Bonito coffee

Brewing this single origin coffee as an espresso comes with notes of sweet mandarin, orange blossom, cane sugar and a caramel finish.

Espresso recipe

Dose: 18g
Time: 30-32 seconds
Yeild: 36g

Key information

Process: Washed
Varietal: Castillo, Colombia & Caturra
Notes: Sweet mandarin, orange blossom, cane sugar and a caramel finish.
Elevation: 1700masl