DON RUBEN – COLOMBIA

COLOMBIA – DON RUBEN

Taste: Cashew Butter, Apricot
Origin: Colombia
Roast Degree: Light
Varietal: Bourbon
Process: Washed
Elevation: 2200 masl
Producer: Ruben Dario Gomez

Nestled high in the steep mountains of Caicedo, Antioquia, Don Rubén Darío Gómez’s farm Finca El Faldón is a testament to the dedication and resilience of Colombian coffee growing. Here, at extreme altitudes, coffee cherries ripen slowly in the cool mountain air, developing complexity and character. Our Head roaster, Charlie, visited Rubén’s farm in January, experiencing firsthand the challenging terrain and remarkable conditions in which this coffee is produced. At around 2,100 metres above sea level, Rubén’s Bourbon variety is grown in a landscape where farming is anything but easy. Don Rubén is a real character with lots of stories to tell; one that stuck with me is when he acquired Finca El Faldón with all of his savings after saving up money from being a migrant farmworker and coffee picker. He had to sleep in a bed made from coffee sacks and with a coffee sack for a pillow until he received payment from his first crop of coffee. The farm’s plot clings to mountainsides, surrounded by deep valleys and dramatic ridgelines. This coffee is carefully harvested and washed by Rubén and his wife, Rosa, to reveal the character of the Bourbon variety. This coffee reflects its extraordinary origin: fragrant and sweet, with delicate notes of cashew butter and apricot.