This coffee was grown and processed by Neftali Castro at his farm El Diamante, near the town of Cajamarca, in the state of Tolima, Colombia. At 3 hectares in size, El Diamante (which translates to “the diamond” in Spanish) is a fairly large farm for the region (most average just 1-1.5 hectares). El Diamante is mainly planted with the Caturra variety, which was the most popular variety during the 1970s and 1980s when most local farms were established. Neftali has also introduced hybrid variety Tabi, as part of the country’s efforts to reduce the incidence of coffee leaf rust, while adding complexity to the cup quality. Coffee at El Diamante is farmed using traditional techniques and most of the labour is provided by Neftali and his family. Fertilisation occurs around three times a year, usually after manual weeding, and pesticides are rarely ever used. The coffee in this lot were selectively hand-harvested and processed using the washed method at El Diamante’s ‘micro-beneficio’ (mill). The coffee was pulped using a small manual pulper and then placed into a fermentation tank, where it was fermented for around 48 hours. Because of the cooler climate in Cajamarca, Neftali was able to blend 2 days’ worth of pickings to extend the coffee’s period of fermentation. Over the 2 days, freshly picked cherry is pulped and added to the mix. This is key, as it lowers the pH level and – along with the cooler temperatures – allow for an extended fermentation process. This fermentation process contributes to a vibrant acidity in the cup profile.