Colombia Julián and Yisela Burbano Washed Caturra

Continuing the legacy set by father Don Javier - the next generation of Burbano’s are producing some absolutely beautiful coffee on the land left to them in their inheritance. Edwin, Carolina, Julián and Diego’s farm, which has been divided into four plots, is up at 2050 masl which has been both a blessing and a curse for the family. It was tough when they started farming because the cold weather that higher altitude can bring made it difficult to grow coffee. So much so that their first big joint investment into their land failed due to the challenging growing conditions at the time. A failure which left the siblings in financial difficulties, worried that they weren’t going to be able to make a success of their new venture. However, in a rare case of climate change benefitting those producing coffee, warmer temperatures at higher altitude, teamed with hard work and determination has seen successful harvests since and allowed the Burbano’s to clear their debts and begin to thrive. The family has attributed a large part of their recent success down to their involvement with the Monkaaba smallholder empowerment initiative, of which the support offered has helped see an increase in both yield and quality across all plots, allowing each of the siblings to achieve a higher income for their coffee.

Monkaaba was founded by Esnaider Ortega-Gomez and Didier Ortega, two young producers who are integral members of the San Agustín community, being the children of generational coffee farmers themselves. They built Monkaaba from the ground up to support local growers, running the warehouse operations to ensure farmers receive both the recognition and the true value their coffee commands. Critically, Esnaider and Didier are not outsiders; they are deeply woven into the community fabric, meaning Monkaaba is authentically run by producers, for producers, fostering an unparalleled level of trust. Before Monkaaba, many producers like the Burbano’s faced exploitation from well-known international buyers who failed to reflect the coffee’s quality in the price paid and offered no recognition for their immense effort. Monkaaba exists to create an equitable normal. It aims to build a coffee industry where recognition extends far beyond quality control by roasters, reaching the end consumer. This fundamental respect, combined with mutual transparency and sustainable pricing, forms the basis for a more resilient and valuable supply chain for all.

This is our second year purchasing coffee from this supply chain and in addition to the La Colmena field blend we had on our offer list previously, we wanted to offer more, higher quality lots from these fantastic producers. We wanted access to unique, characterful profiles and what better way to achieve this than to source microlots at differentiated prices from producers that contributed coffee to said blend last year. Julián Burbano and his partner Yisela are a prime example of this and when cupping at Monkaaba’s bodega in San Agustín during our last visit in October, their Caturra leaped off the table. Remarkable really, considering it was sharing space on the table with Pink Bourbon, Sidra, Gesha, and other high-quality potential varietals. This coffee is tasting big and juicy with a grilled pineapple-like character and purple fruit notes on the cool. Expect a clean and complex banger that really is a shining example of what a washed Colombian is all about!

If you order 1-2 x 250g bags of coffee, they will be sent in a letterbox friendly package so that you do not need to be in to take receipt of your coffee.

Our 250g bags are 100% home compostable including the valve, seal and sticker! They will degrade in 6 months in a well managed home compost.

Our 1kg bags are currently in LDPE plastic - some councils will recycle this for you, if you are unsure simply take it to your local supermarket with your other plastic packaging.