We Nitrogen Flush all of our coffee when bagging for an inert shelf stable environment by locking freshness inside for up to 6 weeks prior to opening
 
Producer:  Reinaldo Parra
Farm: Las Piñas
Region: China Alta, Ibagué, Tolima
Varietal: Caturra
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1900 masl
 
Reinaldo Parra owns Finca Las Piñas which sits at 1900 masl in the steep, rugged hills that surround Tolima’s capital city, Ibagué. This is our second year buying from Reinaldo as we were super impressed by his coffee last year and it's great to have this washed Caturra lot back in our roastery.
 
Reinaldo is an influential coffee producer in the China Alta region, with many of his neighbors looking to him for advice and guidance. Reinaldo has chosen to plant the Caturra variety, which yields excellent cup quality at higher, colder altitudes. This allows him to sell his coffee to specialty buyers, thereby earning a higher premium for his crop. Because of the cooler climate in China Alta, producers like Reinaldo tend to ferment their washed coffees for longer than usual - around 2-3 days, which greatly contributes to vibrant, winey acidity in the cup.
 
Historically the area of China Alta has been known for cattle, sugarcane and trout, which are farmed in pools along the river. Coffee is a relatively new crop for the region, having only been planted in the last 30-40 years. Most coffee farmers purchased land in the area because it was more affordable than traditional coffee farming areas like Planadas and Chaparral, in Tolima’s south. Higher elevation areas were considered less prosperous than lower areas because they typically achieve lower yields. However, this region has since gained acclaim for the high cup quality, sweetness and complexity of the coffees produced here.
 
Most farms in the region are planted with the Caturra variety, which was the most popular variety during the 1970s and 1980s when the farms were established. Coffee in China Alta is farmed with traditional techniques. Fertilisation occurs around three times a year, usually after manual weeding, and pesticides are rarely used. The coffee is selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by the farmers and their families.
 
This lot was selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by Reinaldo and his family. During peak harvest, the family hires local labourers to help harvest the coffee cherry, who are paid on per kilogram or on a daily rate when there isn’t much coffee to harvest. Like many of his neighbours, Reinaldo prefers to work with the same local pickers every year as they know how to select only the ripest cherry for processing. The cherry was then processed using the washed method at Las Piñas’ ‘micro-benficio’ (wet mill). The coffee was hand pulped, and then placed into a fermentation tank. Because of the cooler climate in China Alta, producers like Reinaldo tend to ferment the coffees for longer than usual and will often blend several days’ worth of pickings over a 2-3 day period. Everyday freshly picked cherry is pulped and added to the mix, which lowers the 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.Following fermentation, the coffee was washed using clean water from the Rio La China and then carefully dried (over 10–18 days) on parabolic beds. These 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 greenhouses are 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.