coffeesterTHE COFFEE ENCYCLOPEDIA

Colombia · Washed

COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO

Roasted by Sam James Coffee Bar

Double-fermented washed Colombian coffee with dark chocolate, raspberry, and graham cracker notes.

COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO — Sam James Coffee Bar
Image: courtesy of Sam James Coffee Bar
Dark ChocolateRaspberryGraham Crackers

From the roaster

@import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Barlow+Condensed:wght@600&display=swap');

.sjcb-wrap { max-width: 680px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 2rem 1rem; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; background: #fff; color: #1a1a1a; } .sjcb-section { margin-bottom: 2.5rem; } .sjcb-label { font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 13px; letter-spacing: 0.12em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #888; margin: 0 0 0.75rem; } .sjcb-body { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.75; color: #444; margin: 0; } .sjcb-lead { font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 17px; color: #1a1a1a; letter-spacing: 0.01em; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.25rem; } .sjcb-taste-grid-3 { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); gap: 12px; margin-bottom: 1.25rem; } .sjcb-taste-item { background: #3D1C02; border-radius: 8px; height: 56px; display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; text-align: center; padding: 0 0.75rem; } .sjcb-taste-val { font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 18px; color: #fff; letter-spacing: 0.02em; margin: 0; line-height: 1.2; } .sjcb-hero-heading { font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 28px; letter-spacing: 0.04em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0 0 0.5rem; line-height: 1.15; } .sjcb-hero-body { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.75; color: #444; margin: 0 0 1.5rem; } .sjcb-meta { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: 12px; } .sjcb-meta-item { background: #f5f5f3; border-radius: 8px; padding: 0.75rem 1rem; } .sjcb-meta-key { font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 0.1em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #888; margin: 0 0 2px; } .sjcb-meta-val { font-family: 'Barlow Condensed', Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.02em; color: #1a1a1a; margin: 0; }

Tastes like

Dark Chocolate

Raspberry

Graham Crackers

Rich, dark, and precise. Colombia from the hands that know it best.

Dark chocolate depth, a raspberry brightness that cuts through, and a graham cracker sweetness that lingers. A double-fermented washed coffee with real intention behind every step.

Region

Cauca

Country

Colombia

Farm

ASMUCAFE

Variety

Castillo, Colombia

Location

El Tambo, Cauca

Process

Washed

The coffee

Grown, picked, and processed by women who built something together. ASMUCAFE is the Asociación de Mujeres Agropecuarias de Uribe, a collective of women farmers and landowners in El Tambo, Cauca. Their mission is straightforward: improve their families' quality of life through coffee and contribute to their community by sharing resources, knowledge, and support. A price premium on every bag goes directly toward female empowerment projects within the association. This is coffee with a clear line from cup to community.

Origin

Cauca is one of Colombia's coolest and most complex regions. Stretching from the Western Cordillera to the Pacific Ocean, Cauca's elevation and ocean winds keep temperatures lower than most Colombian growing regions. The Popayan Plateau, volcanic mountain ranges, and river systems create diverse microclimates across the region. Much of the coffee here is grown by indigenous and Afro-descendant communities on small farms, which is reflected in the precision and care that goes into each lot.

Process

Double fermented, washed clean. ASMUCAFE uses a two-stage process within the washed method. Cherries sit in loading hoppers for 14 hours before being depulped in the afternoon and evening hours, then go into open fermentation tanks for another 10 hours. After that they are washed three to four times before drying in parabolic dryers or under the su

Sam James Coffee Bar

Context

Sam James Coffee Bar brings this washed Castillo from Colombia's Cauca region through ASMUCAFE, a producer collective in this coffee-growing area. The roaster identifies dark chocolate and graham cracker notes alongside subtle raspberry—a profile that reflects both the varietal's character and the washed processing method's clean, structured approach. Castillo, a Colombia-developed hybrid, tends toward balanced sweetness and body, qualities evident in these earthy-to-fruited tasting markers. This lot represents a straightforward, approachable expression of Cauca's coffees.

Buy — $26.95 from Sam James Coffee Bar

In the Encyclopedia

Frequently asked questions

Where is COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO grown?

COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO, roasted by Sam James Coffee Bar, is sourced from Cauca, Colombia.

What does COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO taste like?

Expect tasting notes of Dark Chocolate, Raspberry, and Graham Crackers.

How is COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO processed?

COLOMBIA: EL TAMBO uses the Washed process.

More from Sam James Coffee Bar

View all →

More from Colombia

View all →

More Washed coffees

Last verified: June 29, 2026 · Browse all beans.