Best of Huila at ICR: Spotlight Series
Every year, Colombia hosts one of the most exciting events in specialty coffee: regional auctions where growers submit their most quality, innovative or rare coffees before an international panel of buyers. These aren’t your everyday beans—these microlots represent the highest level of craftsmanship from farm to cup. By tasting them, we get to experience the flavors that define one of Colombia’s most celebrated coffee regions and the innovations shaping the future of specialty coffee.
Our Head Roaster, PC, had the fortune of participating in the latest Best of Huila auction, bringing back 2 coffees that represent the finalists chosen by the panel of tasters and buyers.
Huila is an out-of-this world region honored with a protected Denomination of Origin status. Its cloudscape, soaring high and awesomely sculptural, provides incredible cover to coffee grown at high altitudes. Its soil is home to the Nevado del Huila Volcano, the striking Tatacoa desert (which is actually a tropical rainforest) and the Magdalena River.
A coffee adventure waiting to be tasted, expect multiple layers of sweetness, juicy vibrant acidity, and beautiful aromatics to shine in these winning lots --
SPOTLIGHT: TERESA LEIVA CORTÉS
Teresa Leiva is a proud mother and now grandmother of a family that fuels her passion to grow coffee.
For her, coffee is for the courageous - those with the grit and devotion to show up day-after-day, season after season, facing whatever conditions or challenges await.
Her Farm, Los Naranjos ("Orange Groves") is located in Villa íquira, Huila at an altitude of 1900masl. This Anaerobic Washed Colombian varietal is a one-of-one Huila stunner where peak craft meets unexpected flavor for the region.
An aromatic and sweet mix of citrus, mint, and eucalyptus with underlying floral and spice notes lifts the palate with a sensation of opulent tea and cardamom. Soft, fluffy, pillowy in texture, this coffee paradoxically offers a gentle caress and strong hug.
SPOTLIGHT: CAMILO ANDRES RAMÓN
Camilo Andrés Ramón is a young up-and-coming producer, who is putting forward clean, well-processed coffees that offer clarity and fullness of flavor.
Grown in Gigante Huila, with climates informed by the Magdalena River, the high altitude of the farm develops a refreshing sweetness and smooth, easy drinking experience. Situated in Alto Silvania at 1800masl, Camilo's farm Lote Las Morras has as much swagger as its producer.
This Castillo Washed lot offers the quintessential experience of Huila's iconic profile respected by coffee connoisseurs worldwide.
Striking beauty and layers of vibrant acidity swirl into a distinctive crisp and creamy body, polished with a comforting, and lingering sweetness.
THE BEST OF HUILA
Events like the Best of Huila auction help reward farmers directly. It gives them the chance to connect directly with buyers, and to break into the specialty coffee market. If they do, growers can immediately earn double the price for their coffees than at their local markets. Often, producers invest back into their farms, experiment with new varieties, and keep raising the bar for what coffee can be.
