May 2021 Magic Seeds
We are super excited to introduce you to this month's Magic Seeds, a single variety lot from Faiber Bolanos in San Agustín, Colombia. It is a special selection that is exclusively made up of the much sought after Pink Bourbon variety. We have plenty to say about that, but first let's take a look at our Daily Drinker.
Your Daily Drinker for May is a regional selection from the city of Tolima; it is comprised of many farmers from the surrounding area and a mix of many varieties. This is a truly enjoyable coffee, with flavors of dried apricot, caramel, and chocolate hazelnut truffles. Being a regional selection of farmers with a wide range of varieties, this coffee is reflects the most common flavors of this region. Moving on to a single variety, single farm lot in our Magic Seeds you can expect to see a more focused flavor profile.
Faiber Bolanos - the man behind this month's Magic Seeds
Your Magic Seeds for this month comes from a farmer that we were able to meet a few years ago, just outside the city of San Agustín, Huila. It is a selection of a single variety called Pink Bourbon, grown by Faiber Bolanos on his farm named La Esperanza. Faiber is a third-generation coffee farmer and wears many hats. Along with caring for La Esperanza, he manages for his mother’s farm and is the coffee buyer liaison for the 50 member cooperative called Asocoacíon Los Naranjos. Being the group's liaison has enabled him to expand his skills into cupping and roasting. Los Naranjos members have produced some of our favorites coffees over the past few years and this is not Faiber’s first appearance on that list.
coffee flowering on La Esperanza
Pink Bourbon is a rare and sought after variety grown by a handful of producers in this area. It is a special, naturally-occurring hybrid of Yellow Bourbon and Red Bourbon that originally appeared in Colombia. Characteristically, it is sweet and fruity and commonly carries floral or herbal aromas. This selection from Faiber is incredibly juicy, with flavors of guava, strawberry, and pineapple.
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At this time, to offer this coffee and not draw attention to the political situation in Colombia would be a failure on our part. We are no experts in the challenges Colombians face each day, so we would like to direct you to this article from Sprudge. In it you will see many Colombian coffee professionals sharing their experiences. One of these professionals is Omar Herrera, a friend of ours for many years that has spent the last year working directly with the members of Los Naranjos.
Photos provided by Café Imports.
