Colombia La Palma Y El Tucan

Farmer: Juan David Lora 

Region: Cundinamarca, Colombia 

Elevation: 1800 meters 

Varietal: Castillo  Process: Lactic 

Tasting Notes: Orange creamsicle and black cherry.  

Zoka Cupping Score: 88

Roast Level: Light 

Jeff Babcock, Founder/CEO of Zoka, selected this coffee because: "This La Palma has classic flavors, but the balance is so nice.  Mouthfeel and finish were really good.  I wanted another cup, so I bought it!"

This is a Neighbors & Crops coffee, a program run by Finca La Palma Y El Tucan.  La Palma Y El Tucan is a coffee farm, a coffee processing center and an eco-tourism venue in Colombia. They partner with many of their coffee farming neighbors to purchase their coffee harvest and then process it and distribute it on their behalf.  Juan David Lora grew this coffee and then worked with La Palma to process it for export. The farm name, meaning Palm Tree and The Toucan in Spanish, is symbolic of the interconnection of the entire rainforest for which La Palma tries to educate about and protect.  

This coffee went through a lactic process meaning it had limited contact with oxygen during the processing. When the cherries arrive at the mill they are hand sorted and placed in sealed tanks. Bacteria feed on the sugars present in the mucilage of the coffee cherry. The coffee beans are then dried on raised beds for 33 days, resulting in a unique lactic process flavor in the cup.