El Guamo
Fruit forward and sweet, with a rich mouthfeel and lingering florals. Turkish Delight, orange candy and pineapple, with cola acidity.
This coffee was grown and processed by Alexander Mancilla on his family’s farm, El Guamo, located near the town and municipality of Cajamarca, in the state of Tolima, Colombia.
El Guamo (which is the local name for a variety of the Inga tree used to provide shade in coffee plantations) is four hectares in size, which is typical for the Cajamarca region. Don Alexander, as he is known around town, has worked in coffee as long as he can remember. He started his career as a cherry picker and “jornalero” (day labourer), and spent years saving enough money to buy his own piece of land in Cajamarca and establish a coffee farm. Today, Alexander lives at El Guamo with wife Orfanelly and his son, who both help with the management of the farm.
El Guamo is planted with Caturra, which was the most popular variety during the 1970s and 1980s when most local farms were established. Don Alexander farms his coffee with traditional techniques, applying fertilisers around three times a year after manual weeding, and rarely using pesticides. While Don Alexander has also produced tomatoes and beans in the past, he has chosen to focus on coffee-growing more recently – a result of the stable prices he receives and the fact that he doesn’t need to rely on agrochemicals to produce maintain his crop healthy. He has established a small nursery at El Guamo, to ensure he has a healthy supply of coffee trees as he renews and expands his plantation.
ABOUT CAJAMARCA
Cajamarca translates to ‘Cold Lands’ in the local Quechua language and was once a major settlement for the Anaime and Tochas indigenous groups, who put up over 70 years of resistance during the Spanish conquest of Tolima in the 16th century. The municipality was not established until 1867, when the remaining local communities were absorbed by Antioquean settlers whose realm of influence spread across western Colombia.
Historically, Cajamarca has been known as one of Colombia’s agricultural hubs. Thanks to nearby volcano Cerro Machín, the land is incredibly fertile, with volcanic soils rich in minerals and nutrients. The Anaime canyon below supplies the town with ample amounts of fresh water, and powers the the local fishing industry. Along with coffee, the municipality is known for being Colombia’s top producer of arracacha (also known as white carrot, or yellow cassava), a root vegetable that is rich in calcium and vitamin A and a staple of the local diet.
In recent years, the town has stood up to large mining companies that have been buying up land and destroying established farms in search for gold. The community has banded together and fought back, recognising that concentrating on agriculture is more environmentally and socially sustainable for their region long term.
Most farms in the region are planted with Caturra, which was the most popular variety during the 1970s and 1980s when the farms were established. Coffee in Cajamarca is farmed with traditional techniques. Fertilisation occurs around three times a year, usually after manual weeding, and pesticides are rarely used. The coffee is selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by the farmers and their families.
ABOUT TOLIMA
The word ‘Tolima’ comes from the local indigenous language and means a “river of snow or cloud”. The region sits on the Cordillera Central, in the middle of the three mountain ranges that provide a range of microclimates well-suited to high-quality coffee production. Coffee is the leading agricultural activity in the region, followed by beans and cattle.
The most well-known regions in Tolima for specialty coffee are Planadas and Chaparral in the south. This coffee comes from the areas surrounding Ibagué, which is further north in the state. The city is also known as the “Ciudad del Abanico” or the “city of the folding fan” because when you look at it from the sky the rivers running from the mountains split up the crops of rice and cotton, and it looks like a beautiful handmade folding fan.
Coffee from Tolima has historically been very difficult to access due to the region’s isolation and instability. For many years this part of Colombia was under the control of Colombia’s notorious rebel group, the FARC, and as a result, it was unsafe and violent. Since 2012, safe access to this region has been possible as a result of peace talks between the Colombian government and the rebels. Since this time some stunning coffees from small producers have become accessible to the international market.
Our export partners for this coffee, Pergamino, have worked hard commercialise specialty-grade coffee throughout Tolima, and are now able to source some outstanding coffees from very dedicated producers. They work closely with the producers to give them feedback on their coffees (provided by Pergamino’s expert team of cuppers) and provide top up payments when the coffee is sold at a higher premium.
Head here to learn more about the work of Pergamino.
HOW THIS COFFEE WAS PROCESSED
The coffee in this lot were selectively hand-harvested, with most labour being provided by Don Alexander and his family. It was processed using the washed method at El Guamo’s ‘micro-beneficio’ (mill).
The freshly picked coffee cherries were pulped using a small manual pulper and then placed into a fermentation tank, where it was fermented for around 48 hours. Because of the cooler climate in Cajamarca, Alexander was able to blend two to three days’ worth of pickings to extend the coffee’s period of fermentation. Over that time, freshly picked cherry is pulped and added to the mix. This is key, as the fresh mucilage lowers the ferment tank’s pH level and – along with the cooler temperatures – allows for an extended fermentation process. This fermentation process contributes to a vibrant, winey acidity in the coffee’s cup profile. The resulting parchment was then washed using clean water from nearby rivers and streams.
Once washed, the coffee was carefully dried (over 10–18 days) on parabolic beds, which are constructed a bit like a ‘hoop house’ greenhouse, and act to protect the coffee from the rain and prevent condensation dripping back onto the drying beans. The greenhouse is constructed out of plastic sheets and have adjustable walls to help with airflow, and temperature control to ensure the coffee can dry slowly and evenly.
The dry parchment was then delivered to Pergamino’s warehouse, where it was cupped and graded, and then rested in parchment until it was ready for export.
