Origin: Colombia
Estate: Lucitania
Farmer: Victor Felix Ibarra Fajardo
Process: Natural
Cupping notes
Aroma: spice, coconut, white grapes, jasmine
Flavour: malt, brown sugar, butterscotch, waffle
Body: round
Acidity: lively, orange
About the bean:
Merlo is the only roaster in the world to have secured these award winning beans from the Lucitania farm in the heart of Colombia.
Grown by Víctor Félix Ibarra Fajardo, the Colombian bean is naturally processed, producing a taste that is malt and brown sugar with smooth butterscotch notes, finished with a twang of spice and coconut. The acidity is lively and orange with a round body, and sweet finish.
The privately owned farm has been perfecting their beans for over 20 years, and is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, Fairtrade International and UTZ, a program for sustainable farming.
This year in the Cup of Excellence Awards, the Lucitania beans scored 85.5/100, beating hundreds of beans from around the globe to achieve the required and celebrated level of excellence.
Since 2010 Victor has participated in the Cup of Excellence awards, going through four exhibitions in total.
“It is an experience that greatly enriches my work as coffee farmer and recognizes the production model used on my farm,” Víctor said.
What is the Cup of Excellence?
Organised by Alliance for Coffee Excellence, the Cup of Excellence is an annual competition held in several countries to award the finest quality coffees produced.
The level of scrutiny that Cup of Excellence coffees undergo is unmatched anywhere in the industry.
All of the award winners are evaluated, tasted and scored based on their exemplary characteristics.
The prices that these coffees receive have broken records due to the demand for these rare farmer-identified coffees.
Merlo has been successful in securing this farm’s entire lot of coffee, hence it cannot be found anywhere else in the world.