Colombia — Rigoberto Herrera Granja La Esperanza Las Margaritas Sidra (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Raspberry • 🍇 Grape • 🌱 Rhubarb

DETAILS

• Producer: Rigoberto Herrera (Café Granja La Esperanza)
• Farm: Las Margaritas
• Region: Trujillo, Valle del Cauca, Colombia
• Varietal: Sidra
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,700–1,900 MASL
• Size: 100g
  

INTRO

From Las Margaritas — Café Granja La Esperanza's high-altitude farm in Trujillo, Valle del Cauca, and one of the estate's most celebrated addresses for rare and expressive varietals. A washed Sidra of vivid red fruit and tart complexity, processed with the precision and restraint that allows the variety's inherent character to speak clearly. In the cup: raspberry, grape, and rhubarb.

THE PRODUCER

Café Granja La Esperanza is one of Colombia's most celebrated specialty enterprises, led by brothers Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera. Founded in 1945 at Finca Potosí in Valle del Cauca, the estate has grown across four distinct farms — Potosí, Cerro Azul, La Esperanza, and Las Margaritas — each occupying its own altitude, microclimate, and varietal focus. Las Margaritas sits at 1,700–1,900 MASL in Trujillo, sharing the same cool, high-altitude Valle del Cauca environment as the neighbouring Cerro Azul estate, and has become one of CGLE's most important addresses for rare and experimental varietals.

Sidra is a variety grown primarily in Colombia and Ecuador, genetically identified as Ethiopian Landrace and belonging to the Core Ethiopia group alongside Gesha, Chiroso, Pink Bourbon, and Aji. Celebrated for its vivid aromatic complexity, bright fruit-forward acidity, and the tropical and botanical character it delivers at altitude, it responds exceptionally well to clean washed processing — which strips back all fruit influence and allows the variety's intrinsic red fruit and floral character to emerge with full transparency.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Las Margaritas involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Sidra cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented under controlled conditions to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed to remove all fermentation residue ☀️ Drying — Dried to optimal moisture content, preserving the clean aromatic structure of the Sidra

The meticulous washed processing is the defining step — by removing all fruit influence with precision, the process allows the Sidra's inherent raspberry and grape brightness and tart rhubarb complexity to express themselves with the transparency and clarity that Las Margaritas' altitude and cool microclimate support.

THE CUP

A vivid, tart, and beautifully expressive washed Sidra from one of Colombia's most celebrated and carefully managed specialty estates — fresh raspberry and grape brightness balanced by a distinctive rhubarb tartness in a clean, well-structured cup that speaks clearly of Las Margaritas' high-altitude terroir. CGLE's precision and the Sidra variety at their most compelling.

Flavour Notes

🍓 Raspberry 🍇 Grape 🌱 Rhubarb