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On the Ninth (reverse, posting / working) day of Christmas my true love roaster gave to me….

So for the next 12 working days (taking us up to the 22nd the last royal mail posting day) we have the Has Bean 12 days of Christmas for you, This is going backwards 12 days, not the traditional 12 days after Christmas (any excuse really to post).

This will involve a new coffee each day, to help you find inspiration for the perfect coffee for Christmas day. Some old favourites, some very new and exciting coffee that will become firm favourites I am sure.

So today on day ninth we get a Colombian

Colombia El Meridiano Rioblanco Washed

We bought this cup from the cupping table, and sometimes that means we don’t know much about it.

This is a specially selected micro lot of coffee from the Tolima region of Columbia. It comes from a small growers’ cooperative with only 58 members (this lot was made by 20 of them); their average farm size is only 4.5 hectares, and collectively they produce approximately 1000 bags of coffee per year. So this is an example of smallholders working together to produce amazing coffee.

Tolima is one of 32 departments in Colombia and sits between the big cities of Bogota (the capital) and Cali. Tolima is a southern department, and the county is Herrera. The nearest town to the cooperative is Rioblanco. Meridiano is about 79 mi (or 128 km) West of Bogotá.

The varietals are Caturra, Colombia, and Typica. They are fully washed, and grown at altitudes from 1,550 m.a.s.l. to 1,900 m.a.s.l.

Last year we also had this as decaffeinated, but this was the only lot we felt happy with and there was not enough to decaf.

In the cup this is different to previous years, expect milk chocolate and caramel thats super easy to drink with a light and clean watermelon acidity.

Farm: El Meridiano
Country: Colombia
State: Tolima
County: Herrera
Town: Rioblanco
Producers coop: 58 small coffee growers called ASOCEAS, “Asociacion de Productores de Café Especial de Alto Saldana”
Altitude: 1,500 – 1,900 m.a.s.l.
Varieties: Caturra (70%), Colombia (20%) and Typica (10%)
Processing Method: Washed in micro-mills at each farm
Drying Method: Sun-dried in green-houses and on drying patios
Shade: 40% shade cover – Plantain, Cambulo, Chachafruto, Guamo
Harvest: Main: Oct. – Jan. Fly-crop: April – June
Packaging: Jute bags with Grain-pro liners to extend freshness, (70kg/154lb)

You can buy it here 

About the author Just Steve Leighton

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