Colombia — YCA Young Producers Project Castillo, Caturra & Colombia (Various)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Strawberry • 🥭 Mango • 🍫 Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: YCA | Young Producers Project
• Region: Antioquia, Cauca, Huila & Quindío, Colombia
• Varietal: Castillo, Caturra, Colombia
• Process: Various experimental processing methods
• Altitude: Various
• Size: 340g (12oz)

INTRO

Unblended exists to make coffee farming an exciting and meaningful industry for the next generation of Colombian producers. As green buyers, they partner with established growers — including names like Sebastián Ramírez — and connect them with leading roasters in the US, forging relationships that give young farmers a genuine pathway into the specialty market.

The result in the cup is a blend that's both fruity and sweet, like summer strawberries, and round and smooth, like craft chocolate. Tropical notes of mango hint at the lots that underwent more extensive fermentation, whilst the overall profile stays balanced and crowd-pleasing — a genuine celebration of Colombian specialty coffee, present generation and next.

THE PRODUCERS

Unblended's Young Producer Program is a cooperative initiative that pairs seasoned Colombian coffee farmers with younger mentees who are passionate about specialty production. The young producers learn by doing — experimenting with processing methods on small batches, which are then blended at precise percentages with larger lots from their mentors' farms, ensuring those experimental lots have a market and a home.

This release draws from multiple farms across Antioquia, Cauca, Huila, and Quindío — four of Colombia's most celebrated coffee-growing departments. Each contributor brings their own terroir and processing approach, and Unblended's skill lies in assembling them into something greater than the sum of its parts.

THE PROCESS

This blend is composed of several lots, each processed using various experimental methods:

• 🍒 Hand-picking at peak ripeness — across all contributing farms
• 🧪 Various fermentation experiments — individual lots undergo different processing iterations, from traditional washed to more extensively fermented methods
• ☀️ Drying — method varies by lot and producer
• ✅ Precision blending — lots combined at specific percentages to balance fermentation character with sweetness and approachability

The interplay between lots at different stages of experimental processing is what gives this blend its complexity — fruity and dynamic, yet never overwhelming.

THE CUP

Complex but still completely approachable, this is a blend built to deliver. Strawberry leads the way — bright, sweet, and summery — whilst mango adds a tropical depth that hints at the more extensively fermented lots in the mix. Craft chocolate rounds out the cup with a smooth, satisfying finish.

Flavour Notes

• 🍓 Strawberry
• 🥭 Mango
• 🍫 Chocolate