Colombia
Risaralda
Julio Cesar Madrid
La Riviera
Pink Bourbon
Cold Washed
September–November
Caramel, Green Apple, Lemon, Floral
1750 meters
N/A
25 kg VacPack
SOLD OUT
Operated by Julio Cesar Madrid, Finca La Riviera is located in Vereda La Estrella in the municipality of Santa Rosa de Cabal in the Risaralda department of Colombia. The farm is situated near the Los Nevados Natural National Park, a 58,300 hectare reserve surrounding the northern volcanic complex formed by Nevado del Ruiz.
La Riviera has an elevation of 1750 meters above sea level, giving the 40 hectare property temperatures ranging 18–28°C year-round. This climate provides ideal conditions for harvesting the more than 10 varieties planted on the farm, which makes La Riviera the farm with the most varieties amongst its related farms in Café UBA, an alliance of three farms from Risaralda including Finca Buenos Aires, Finca Milán, and Finca La Riviera.
This lot of Pink Bourbon coffee underwent Cold Washed processing. Freshly harvested cherries typically have 28 degrees Brix at the time of harvest. Floaters are removed to eliminate overripe and underripe cherries, and the sorted cherries are then pulped and immediately placed into GrainPro bags and transferred to the cold room, where the temperature is regulated between 10-13 degrees Celsius for 76 hours. After this prolonged fermentation, coffee is fully washed and transferred to the drying stage, where it spends three days in the sun of the solar dryer and is then placed on raised beds in the shade to continue drying for 23-25 days. After drying, it is stored in GrainPro bags for 20 days of rest prior to preshipment cupping and export.
Risaralda is one of Colombia’s principal coffee growing Departments. Along with neighboring Caldas and Quindío, it forms part of the “coffee axis” or “coffee triangle,” indicating the important coffee activities—from research to social support programs to freeze drying to dry milling—that take place in the area, which is in turn part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, recognized by UNESCO as a World Coffee Cultural Heritage site.
The soils of Risaralda have their origin in igneous rocks and volcanic ash with slopes descending towards the Cauca river, forming a landscape of colorful towns where more than 20.000 smallholder farms and mid-sized estates dedicate themselves to the department’s main agricultural activity; coffee. The main coffee varieties found there include Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, Típica and Tabi.
Risaralda is the only Colombian department recognized as a Model Forest, a title given by the International Model Forest Network because of the community management of the areas declared as reserves, combining social, environmental and economic needs of the local communities with long-term and large-scale perspectives on the sustainability of the territory.
