China Alta
Caramel, orange, plum, almond, with a honeyed balance
Roasted for: Espresso
Stays freshest. Grind it just before you brew.
A little bright, a little sweet. A moment worth savouring. A washed coffee from seven smallholder farmers high in the Andes of Tolima, with notes of caramel, orange, plum and almond, and a honeyed balance.
Seven small farms high in the mountains, and every cherry picked by hand by the families who grow it. You can taste that care in the cup.
- Grown by
- Seven smallholder farmers
- Region
- Tolima, Colombia
- Altitude
- 1,600–2,000 m
- Variety
- Caturra, Colombia
- Notes
- Caramel, orange, plum, almond, with a honeyed balance
- finish
- Sweet aftertaste
- Process
- Washed
- Roasted for
- Espresso
China Alta, Tolima, Colombia
China Alta is a small village high in the Central Andes of Tolima, in the steep hills around Ibagué and close to Los Nevados Natural Park. This lot comes from seven smallholder farmers there, each working around three hectares between 1,600 and 2,000 metres, on volcanic soil in a cool mountain climate.
The village takes its name from the Río La China, which winds through the mountains and waters the farms on its banks. “Alta” is the high ground, where the sweetest coffee grows. Coffee only arrived here 30 to 40 years ago, in a valley better known for cattle, sugarcane and trout, but these high slopes are now earning a name for coffees with real clarity and sweetness.
The farmers grow traditional varieties, mostly Caturra and Colombia. They weed and fertilise by hand, rarely use pesticides, and pick every cherry by hand with their families.
