New Varieties with Café Granja La Esperanza

Much ink has been spilled all around the world about the wonders of Café Granja La Esperanza (CGLE) in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Rigoberto Herrera (or just Rigo for short) is a world-renown producer, one of the earliest champions of organic and Gesha production in all of Colombia. He would never say this about himself, but if you’ve ever tasted a Gesha variety coffee from Colombia, Rigo’s name is on that family tree somewhere.

The son and grandson of coffee producers, Rigo carries within him intimate knowledge of Granja’s four main farms, one of which (Finca Potosí) that’s been in the family since 1945! There is a reason these coffees have routinely placed in the top slots in Roasting, Barista and Brewer’s competitions over the last 15 years. The curiosity, care and consistency is unlike anything we’ve seen anywhere else.

It is because of this family tree of excellence that Yellow Rooster decided to align with Granja on a few coffees. Felipe Paz, a beloved, Houston-based former member of the Yellow Rooster sales team, was also a quality control manager and a part of the international sales team for CGLE while living in Colombia in the 2010s. Although Felipe has moved on from both of our companies to open his own coffee shop in Houston (check out La Tazza next time you’re in town!), he made the official connection between the two brands last year on a trip to Valle.

While we can’t say enough about ALL the coffees on the cupping table, our team was particularly drawn to two “new-to-us” varieties that CGLE is working: Java and Mandela. Rigoberto, taking a page out of his own playbook, is now pouring all his efforts into adapting and understanding new varieties on his farms, much in the same way he familiarized himself with Gesha nearly 20 years ago. This is our first non-cofermented Java we’ve imported, impressed by its juiciness and topicality; Pineapple and Tamarind dominate, with a soft and hoppy florality and rounded apricot to finish the cup as it cools. And of course, we were particularly curious about “Mandela” — This is a certified CGLE invention; nowhere else in the world does this coffee than right there in Valle del Cauca, Colombia, a multi-generational project that includes Caturra, Híbrido de Timor, Sudan Rume and more in its DNA. In the race that is climate change, soil adaptability, disease resistance and quality of flavor, Mandela is making its case for leading candidate. This natural process lot is a bright and juicy, big-bodied cup that lingers on the palate, with notes of hibiscus, blackberry, green apple and anise. A complex and unique cup that will find its home among the variety nerds!

These freshly arrived coffees are limited in availability, warehoused NOW in Continental, NJ. Reach out to your relationship manager or place your sample order on the website today!