Description

The Regional Select program was created to highlight the unique profiles we have found that are inherent to various microclimates in many of the countries from which we source green coffee. Local variables like wind patterns, soil quality, sunlight, elevation, and other environmental influencers have much to do with the common characteristics that separate, say, a Northern Colombian from a Southern Colombian coffee, just as they inform the differences between a Colombian and a Kenyan.

For our Regional Select offerings, we source based on cup quality and character, seeking a balance of “taste of place” with availability and price. These lots are built as blends from coffees that cup out between 84–87 on our 100-point cupping scale, and come with regional and often microregional traceability, but are not farm- or producer-specific.

Nariño is the southwestern-most department in Colombia along the border with Ecuador, with one of its main boundaries being the Pacific Ocean. The climate here is unusual even in a place as geographically diverse as Colombia: Dry, rugged terrain and dramatic slopes and valleys create conditions that boost the big, sparkling, and juicy quality of the coffees. Warm, humid air collects in the lowlands during the day and creeps up the mountainside at night, which allows coffee to thrive much higher than commonly thought possible, all the way up to 2,300 meters.

For more information about coffee production in Colombia, visit ourColombia page.