Colombia | Buesaco | Washed Espresso

This washed Caturra comes from eight smallholder producers farming the steep hillsides around Buesaco in eastern Nariño, Colombia, at elevations of 1,800–2,200 metres above sea level. Farms here are tiny — averaging just 1.5 hectares — and are embedded in dense native vegetation overlooking the Juanambú Canyon. The altitude, equatorial sun and cool nights slow cherry maturation, concentrating sugars and setting the stage for coffees that are bright, precise and expressive. In the cup, this lot is juicy and clean with a sugary mouthfeel, showing purple grape, mandarin and brown sugar, finishing fresh and balanced.

Buesaco’s rise as a specialty origin is relatively recent. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, civil conflict and guerrilla control pushed agriculture toward survival rather than quality. When peace gradually returned in the 2010s, growers began to realise that their high-elevation terroir could compete at the highest levels — a belief reinforced by strong performances in Colombia’s Cup of Excellence. Farmers organised through associations like Grupo Empresarial Buesaco and later Alianza Café, shifting focus toward selective harvesting, careful processing and transparent commercialisation to access international specialty markets and earn meaningful premiums.

The coffees in this regional lot were hand-harvested by farming families and processed individually at each farm’s micro-mill. Cherries were pulped, fermented for up to 36 hours depending on conditions, then fully washed and density-sorted before drying slowly for 10–18 days on covered parabolic beds. Once delivered to Pergamino, each small lot was cupped, graded and blended for clarity and consistency. The result is a coffee that reflects both place and progress — vibrant yet composed, fruit-forward without excess, and rooted in a community that has rebuilt its future through quality, cooperation and care.