Leave it to Edinson Argote and the team at Quebraditas to make even the humble Castillo varietal taste like a dreamy dessert. This coffee is similar to his ever-popular Orange Bourbon, but with a bit more sweet creaminess – there are loads of bright citrus notes here alongside bubblegummy, marshmallowy goodness. A tasty treat for all the sweet tooths out there.
In 2023, Edinson Argote and Ángela Rojas joined forces to create the Quebraditas project, which includes two farms – Chorro Alto and Quebraditas. Ángela had originally left the countryside to study nursing, but ultimately returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic to trade her nursing career for a life in coffee.
Quebraditas is a family-run project dedicated to producing premium coffee with standout and reproducible sensory profiles thanks to their fermentation processes, including thermal shock and yeast inoculation. They also focus on agronomic management and soil care (strategic shading, use of organic matter, and the maintenance of soil pH and calcium) that allows them to increase the potential of each crop.
Oporapa is a region that has not yet gained significant recognition in the coffee world, partly due to infrastructure challenges and other factors. Edinson and Ángela started their journey on Chorro Alto, a farm owned by Ángela’s parents. Ángela manages the administration, while Edinson oversees coffee processing and farm operations. They also collaborate with two other farms – one in La Plata, which grows varieties such as Sidra and SL28, and another in the Argentina region. Additionally, they purchase coffee cherries from San Adolfo.
They have two coffee farms located at 1600-1850 meters above sea level in the central Huila Mountains. These farms cover 18 hectares, 10 of which grow traditional varieties such as Caturra and Colombia, and one of which is exclusively for special varieties, including Eugenoides, Bourbon Pointu, Geisha, Java, Bourbon Chiroso, Wush Wush, Bourbon Ají, Papayo, Pacamara, Sudan Rume, and Arará. The vision is to eventually grow only these non-traditional varieties.
To process this lot, cherries were floated to remove green, overripe, and dry cherry. It was then oxidized in food-grade plastic drums for 24 hours and depulped without using water. Fermentation continued for a total of 60 hours with a specific yeast before washing. The coffee was then dried for 76 hours at an average temperature of 38°C. Finally, it was stabilized and prepared for transport in GrainPro-type bags.
Elevation: 1650-1800 Meters Above Sea Level
Varietal: Castillo
Cup score: 87.5
Price paid per kg: £11.50
Process: Washed with yeast inoculation
