Colombia Planadas Seleccion
https://www.danelaw.coffee/shop/p/colombia-planadas-seleccion
In the foothills of the central Andes, close to the borders of Huila and Cauca lies the small town of Planadas in Tolima. It’s remote, a good ten hours drive from Bogota across some of the worst roads I’ve ever travelled on. The town is functional, if not particularly exciting, with an excellent burger bar, cafe’s and a bustling town square. Until frighteningly recently, this town was scarred by the FARC Guerrilla conflict and many young adults in the area were unable to attend high school. Instead they learnt how to manage their family coffee farm instead.
View of the valley from the high-altitude home of coffee farmers contributing to Colombia Planadas Seleccion
This part of Tolima enjoys a number of natural advantages. Rich volcanic soils, high altitudes, cool temperatures, plentiful sunshine and ample rain. There’s also years of embedded knowledge of traditional farming practices, organic crop management and a near-total absence of industrial coffee interventions like chemical fertilisers.
I first started to work with producers in this area in 2017, and visited Planadas in 2018, where I found kind, generous coffee farmers; young adults passionate about their craft; and schoolchildren absolutely bristling with excitement to have European visitors.
Pausing for photos at Finca Los Mangos near Planadas.
I was also offered stunning coffees, with producers experimenting with varietals and processes to deliver unique cup profiles with complex acidity and high sweetness. I’ve been enchanted with this area ever since, and it was first on my list of origins to look for when launching Danelaw.
This coffee is the product of over 1000 smallholder farmers organised into 23 small producer groups and is grown between 1500-2050 metres above sea level. It’s a washed coffee comprised of common varietals for the area - Colombia, Castillo and Caturra.
It’s on the lighter side of medium roast, so you should expect flavours like Apple, Milk Chocolate and Caramel.
https://www.danelaw.coffee/shop/p/colombia-planadas-seleccion
