Colombia: Yamid Quinayas

This is a very special coffee, from the multi-generational Quinayas family that we brought in for the second year in a row. These days, the Quinayas family includes Miller and his sister Edilma, Miller’s son Yamid, and Yamid’s brother-in-law, Hugo Melo. They have beautiful soils high in organic matter, good rainfall, and lots of shade trees with old varieties, but their access to processing, farm management information and support has historically been quite minimal.

Yamid works alongside his brother-in-law Hugo, processing their coffee on a shared mill, and drying their coffee in a beautiful dryer that they built together using funds from an interest-free loan we extended to them several years ago. To process, Yamid first floats the cherries to remove under- and over-ripes, and then intentionally leaves cherries for an initial “cherry ferment” for 24 hours. From there, coffee is de-pulped and left to ferment in a low-oxygen environment- in sealed pickle barrels- for 12-36 hours, depending on weather conditions. Yamid carefully measures the pH of the coffee, watching once pH measures between 4 and 4.2. From there, coffee is lightly and gently washed, before moving to a nylon bag where the remaining liquid is left to drain out a bit further for an hour or so. Next, coffee is transferred to the new two-story dryer where it’s carefully tended to on the platforms under shade for almost a month. This dryer was designed and built by Yamid and Hugo. The family saved up and bought materials, and constructed a system better than seen on large estates. The structure provides protection from direct sunlight, but full ventilation, ensuring that the moisture leaves the bean over a slow and steady process, which helps to keep the coffee stable and lock in the quality for much longer.Yamid has been slowly transitioning away from using synthetic chemical inputs in his farming, and has received training in organic vegetable growing, pruning and shade tree management, and how to make homemade organic fertilizers and fungicides. These products involve mixing farm waste, manure, animal blood and guts, sugar cane waste and organic minerals, and the key ingredient: microorganisms collected from virgin mountain soil. These are long, extended fermentation brews that enrich microbial populations in soils and keep trees healthy and able to fight off foliar fungal diseases. This is another beautiful farmgate coffee.

Cupping Notes: Cacao, stone fruit, honey and vanilla notes

Brew Recommendations: Drip, French press, pour-over and espresso

Varietals: Caturra, Tabi, and Typica

Region: Huila

Elevation: 1850 meters above sea level

Processing Method: Wet process (washed) and patio sun-dried

Equity and Transparency Pricing Levels

Sustaining Level: $16 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

Uplifting Level: $20 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

Benefacting Level: $24 per 12 oz bag (check out subscriptions for deep discounts) | More info below

Produced by Yamid Quinayas in the Huila region of Colombia, this single-origin offering showcases the classic profile of the Caturra varietal. Grown at 1850 masl, the coffee undergoes a washed process, a method typically employed to highlight the inherent clarity and acidity of the bean. While washed coffees are often celebrated for their clean, bright profiles, this specific lot from Keia & Martyn's Coffee presents a nuanced cup characterized by notes of cacao, stone fruit, honey, and vanilla.

The Colombia · Huila region is widely recognized for its consistent production of high-quality lots, often providing a balanced foundation for the delicate sweetness found in Caturra. When evaluating the complexity of such a profile, drinkers may find it helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better identify the interplay between the deep, chocolatey base and the lighter, fruit-forward aromatics present in this harvest.