To say it's been a tough year for Colombian coffee would be an understatement. First, the commodity prices of coffee have been artificially high, something that might sound good, but causes many growers to hold onto their coffee, speculating for yet higher prices—a risky process that occasionally benefits a few, and is always disastrous for the rest. And then there was the weather. Too much rain in June and July encouraged Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR), which strips trees of their leaves and weakens them so that the cherries do not fully ripen, producing a coffee that lacks sweetness and character. Then, not enough rain in December and January stressed the trees at a critical moment in their flowering period, and encouraged the presence of broca, a bug that loves to snack on coffee cherries and ruin the fruit.

But there is good news through all of this: good producers. We visited Edilfonso Yara last week at his farm in Gigante, Huila, and were excited to see a producer continuing to thrive despite the poor weather conditions. Where others might have had excuses, he had strategies. Edilfonso's trees were considerably healthier than others we saw throughout our travels in Colombia, as he had taken the precaution of treating the leaves with copper at the first signs of CLR, preventing the proliferation of the disease. There is little that a producer in Colombia can do to combat lack of rain (farms are typically on slopes so steep that irrigation would be more expensive than helpful), but the lack of CLR on Edilfonso's trees left them healthier and better prepared for a small drought than they would otherwise have been. And to combat those pesky broca? Edilfonso aggressively picked all his ripe cherries quick-smart, leaving none for the bugs to eat.

The high commodity prices have not discouraged Edilfonso from working with Virmax, our partners in Colombia. Because of our commitment to providing our customers with the best coffee we can find, coffee from producers we work with must be blindly cupped to determine that its quality is superb. Despite the fact that Ritual pays higher prices for quality coffee than can be procured through other available means, many producers will take easy money rather than more money. Alejandro Cadena at Virmax Coffee tirelessly promotes the quality-route for producers, explaining the value of a long-term relationship with roasters over the lottery-relationship with an arbitrary commodity price. When the Colombia commodity price falls again, the prices that Ritual pays will not drop a penny. Edilfonso Yara sees the long-term benefit of this to himself and his family, and has been bringing all of his coffee to Virmax with the hope of continuing the relationship with Ritual, and forging a stable path to quality coffee and a quality life.

So, did Edilfonso's coffee pass the rigorous quality test at Virmax? Why yes, it did. And what is the coffee tasting like? It is sweet and creamy, with flavors of butterscotch, Danish pastry, dried stonefruits and a lavender finish. You can enjoy Edilfonso Yara's coffee two ways: Finca Yara, a blend of 5 different sections of his farm, and La Esperanza, the best of the best coffee we tasted from Edilfonso's last harvest (the latter is a very small lot that is subject to availability).

Enjoy these coffees while they last!
Ritual Coffee Roasters