E. Giraldo San Carlos – Colombia (direct trade)

Tasting notes

Roasted almond — Butter —  Dark Chocolate 

The town San Carlos in Antioquia is not that easy to reach, the road is small with quite some obstacles - as I could experience driving there.  Because it is so remote, it also unfortunately has been a target for the guerilla and paramilitary and it still bears marks and scars from that violent past.  You can only reach the plantation driving a motorcycle, which you park at the ruins of a school destroyed by fire, to walk the rest of the way.

In choosing our coffees we look at the “terroir”, this means that we look at the weather conditions, the quality of the soil, the altitude because these conditions determine the cup profile. The soil in San Carlos is very fertile and the climate well balanced with an ideal mix of rain and sunshine - as a result we have in our cup many sweet notes such as butter, dark chocolate and roasted almonds,  all quite balanced.  With a round body and a pleasant light fruity acidity, this coffee pleases everyone. The producer’s name is Edwin Giraldo, he’s such a meticulous man. 

When you visit his farm, he takes a lot of pride into roasting his beans himself - in his oven- to prepare a delicious filter coffee.   It’s a small production, only 1 hectare which is producing only a few hundred kilos  at one time, so he talked to his neighbours - the ones whom he knows also put effort in diligently producing coffee and the result is that we have a small quantity of this exquisite coffee in our roastery in Eeklo.