Colombia — Carmen Montoya Bella Vista Chiroso (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Plum • 🍇 Mulberry • 🍋 Candied Lemon

DETAILS

• Producer: Carmen Montoya
• Farm: Bella Vista
• Region: Urrao, Antioquia, Colombia
• Varietal: Chiroso
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 2,000 masl
• Harvest: June 2026
• Farm Gate: 4.2MM COP/Carga ($13.87/kg) | FOB: $15.43/kg | DDP: $19.33/kg

INTRO Carmen Montoya produced the first Chiroso ever tasted from Urrao, years ago — her coffee sparked the curiosity about this variety and region that's driven an entire buying programme since. It feels like a full circle to work with her coffee again. Plum and mulberry sweetness lead, with a candied lemon brightness on the finish. In the cup: plum, mulberry, and candied lemon.

THE PRODUCER Carmen Montoya opened the door to coffee produced in northern Colombia. Until she won the Cup of Excellence in 2014 with a then-unknown variety called Chiroso, most buyers were focused on other regions like Huila and Tolima. It's thanks to her that the exploration of Urrao and this variety first began.

Chiroso is a new variety primarily grown in Antioquia, Colombia, only gaining wider attention in recent years for its cup quality potential. It's been genetically identified as an Ethiopian Landrace, though nothing more specific is currently known — its path to cultivation in this particular region remains a mystery, but its cup quality is extraordinary. This ongoing project continues in partnership with exporter The Coffee Quest.

THE PROCESS Cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, floated to further remove defects, then de-pulped the same day. The coffee ferments underwater for eight days, is washed, and dries on raised beds until moisture reaches 10.5%.

The extended eight-day underwater fermentation is the defining step — a notably long window that builds the layered plum and mulberry sweetness behind the candied lemon brightness that define this cup.

THE CUP Layered and bright — plum and mulberry sweetness up front, with a candied lemon finish. A full-circle return to the producer whose original Chiroso started it all.

Flavour Notes 🍑 Plum 🍇 Mulberry 🍋 Candied Lemon