Colombia

BRIDGE COFFEE CO.

Cesar and Magdalena

Tasting Notes: Citrus, cocoa nib, molasses

ANEI Fairtrade Organic

The Coffee

The area in which ANEI operates is made up of approximately 30,000 Arhuacos located between the departments of Cesar and Magdalena, and the association includes 700-plus coffee-producing families and a large team of people committed to the same mission.

Headed by agricultural engineers Paulo Lemus and Alecy Andrade, ANEI focuses on increasing productivity and improving procedures, to achieve the highest-quality coffee from each variety of coffee tree. It also has a quality-management program covering processes for each of the producers and a logistics system to classify the diverse qualities of the coffee bought by ANEI's laboratories, using a tasting procedure.

Along with the Colombian Department of Social Prosperity and Municipal Mayors, ANEI has set the goal of making a change toward ecological agriculture in all the municipalities of Cesar, Guajira and Magdalena departments, especially focusing on the coffee-growing field.

As of 2016, ANEI had 112 women coffee-growing members, supported 33 students with educational grants, had a comprehensive range of certified Fairtrade Organic coffees in northern Colombia, and had created simplified and transparent organizational and commercial models between customers and producers.

The Story

Aurora Izquierdo was one of the first women of her generation to leave the indigenous Arhuaco community of Santa Marta in pursuit of a higher education.

While studying agricultural engineering at Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Aurora considered how to turn coffee into a source of value for the indigenous farming communities of La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Serranía del Perijá. Her goals were to address cultural recognition, food scarcity, a poor education system and indigenous and rural economic crises—while also considering the preservation of forests, rivers and fauna.

After graduating, she returned to her community and created a sustainable agriculture program that has since dramatically improved the quality of life in the area. Today, as director of the Association of Indigenous Agroecology Producers (ANEI), she has earned an award from the governor of the department of Cesar for leadership, service, management and commitment to the most vulnerable communities, and she has been recognized by the United Nations World Food Programme for empowering women in indigenous communities.

The Roast
Roasting a Colombia coffee requires a fair amount of aggression. These high-altitude coffees and large bean varietals need significant heat early in their roast. However, once the bean is to the point of drying, they have a lot of momentum that carries them through the remainder of the roast. As the airflow increases on the coffee during maillard, judicious reductions in heat are needed to keep the roast from getting away from you. Early intensity is rewarded with gentle development later on producing a coffee with a nice brightness but balanced and sweet. Highlighting the natural acidity of citrus fruit with milk chocolate and caramel, this coffee is a crowd pleaser.  

Bridge Coffee Co. Recommended Brewing Instructions

• Pour-Over: 
• 340g 205f H20 | 28g coffee
• Medium Fine Grind (Table Salt)
• Medium Coarse for Chemex
• 40gm H2O for bloom 
• At 0:30 seconds, pour 200g H2O
• At 3:00 minutes, pour 100g H2O
• 4:00 total brew time
• French Press
• 32oz 205f H2O | 56g coffee
• Coarse Grind (Kosher Salt)
• Pour enough water to cover the coffee and swirl
• Pour the remaining water and cover with the filter plunger and lid
• Steep for 4 minutes and plunge
• Espresso (Generic!)
• 18g coffee
• Very Fine Sand Grind
• 50g Yield
• 0:27 seconds
• Aeropress ('Inverted' Method)
• 220g 195f H2O | 22g coffee
• Medium Fine Grind (Table Salt)
• Pull plunger until almost out of the brew chamber
• Pour enough water to cover the coffee and swirl
• Add the remaining H2O and swirl
• Wet the filter in cap and attach
• Invert the assembled Aeropress and place on your serving vessel
• Pull slightly on the plunger being careful not to pull it out
• Steep for 2:30 minutes
• Press for 0:20 seconds
• Dilute to taste