Colombia Los Guacharos - Wholesale Grocery

We Taste: red grape - dried fig - turbinado sugar - strawberry jam

Medium-light Roast

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Please submit orders by 3:00 p.m. central time on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday for roast and ship on the following business day. Thank you!

 AN ENVIRONMENT FOCUSED EXAMPLE: DEVELOPING QUALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IN HUILA

Los Guacharos is an association made up of many small farmers who all work together to achieve a common goal — producing amazing coffee while developing an eco-friendly independence. Their community driven systems are a great example of producer led innovation around soil health and cost reduction for farmers. The group has nearly transitioned entirely away from chemical fertilizers. Producers don’t use any pesticides or herbicides, opting instead for biodynamic and regenerative practices.

This reserve lot comes from a selection of farmer-members of Los Guacharos. While each producer has their own techniques, they are all harvesting cherries at peak ripeness, depulping them, and then allowing to ferment for a period of time before washing. Finally, they are dried on raised beds or patios with shade cloth.

This lot is made up 100% of Pink Bourbon. Many producers in the Los Guacharos cooperative, as well as others in Colombia, have been planting more pink bourbon, a variety that emerged in Huila in the 1980s. What’s special about pink bourbon? With its orangey pink ripe cherries, it’s thought to be a hybridized cross of red and yellow bourbon. Recent research might indicate that it is actually more closely related to Ethiopian landraces. Practically speaking, producers find it to be disease resistant, high yielding, and low maintenance. At the same time, it produces a unique and exciting flavor profile with high cup quality.

This is our ninth year being able to offer Los Guacharos in our lineup and the third offering of a pink bourbon community lot. We are excited to continue on with this commitment to the Los Guacharos group each season.

Produced by the Los Guacharos collective in the Huila region of Colombia, this offering from Ruby Coffee Roasters showcases the distinct profile of the Pink Bourbon varietal. While washed coffees—a technique detailed in our processing methods explainer—are often celebrated for their clean acidity and structural clarity, this specific lot highlights a complex sweetness. The cup presents a nuanced interplay of red grape, dried fig, and strawberry jam, anchored by the deep, molasses-like richness of turbinado sugar.

When evaluating such profiles, enthusiasts often consult the flavor wheel to categorize these fruit-forward and sugary characteristics. Pink Bourbon is frequently noted for its ability to bridge the gap between the classic balance of traditional Bourbon and the vibrant, aromatic intensity found in more exotic cultivars. This selection serves as a refined example of how regional terroir and careful processing influence the final cup.