Colombia Carlos Soto Castillo Washed

Flavor: Grapefruit, Lime, Darjeeling, Cinnamon

Origin: Colombia
Region: Gaitania, Tolima
Altitude: 1,810m
Producer: Carlos Andres Soto
Farm: Monserrate
Variety: Castillo
Process: Washed


[Recipe/Pairing]
Drip (for 1 cup): 14g powder, 250g hot water
This Castillo coffee is grown at an altitude of 1,810 meters in Gaitania, Tolima, Colombia. It features a bright, refreshing acidity reminiscent of grapefruit and lime, with a subtle herbal note that rounds out the overall flavor. As it cools, it reveals a refined floral note reminiscent of Darjeeling tea and sweet, spicy nuances like cinnamon, allowing you to enjoy the flavor changing over time.
It pairs well with citrus sweets, especially lemon cake, cinnamon scones, and tea pound cake. For breakfast, a light meal like plain yogurt with honey and grapefruit will bring out the coffee's delicate acidity.

[Production background]
This lot of coffee was grown and processed at the Monserrate Farm in the Gaitania region of Tolima, Colombia. The producer, Carlos Andrés Soto, is a member of a third-generation coffee farming family that dates back to his grandparents, and has been producing specialty coffee in earnest since 2019.
The Monserrate farm is part of a family-run micro-enterprise, of which Carlos manages 5 hectares. The varieties cultivated are a mix of Castillo (20%), Colombian Supremo and F1 varieties, with an emphasis on improving the flavor and quality.
He focuses daily on reviewing and improving processes, and his efforts have led to consistent quality at Monserrate Farm and an improved reputation for the entire region.


[Regional characteristics]
Gaitania, in the Tolima department, is a highland coffee-growing region in Colombia, blessed with a cool climate and rich volcanic soil, which is ideal for growing coffee with clean, complex acidity, and is particularly prone to producing beans with bright, juicy flavors.
The region is also known for its many small-scale producers, each of whom brings their own unique ingenuity and passion to their cultivation and refining, resulting in the creation of many unique micro-lots.