"Upon grinding, the aroma presents citrus, yuzu, bergamot, soft florals, and a hint of mint. On the palate, orange, lime, and yuzu tea lead, followed by peach, bergamot, and delicate florals. A cooling mint note appears in the finish, giving the cup a clean, fresh, and distinctive character."

Las Margaritas is one of the key farms within Café Granja La Esperanza, the specialty coffee project led by Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo Herrera in Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The Herrera family’s coffee history began at Potosí, where earlier generations expanded the farm beyond traditional Typica and built the foundation for the group’s later work with rare varieties. Under Rigoberto and Luis Eduardo, CGLE developed a more technical direction, combining agronomic control, detailed lot separation, and precise post-harvest protocols. Las Margaritas is central to that program because its planted areas allow the team to match specific varieties with altitude, exposure, and processing style. This Sidra Washed lot reflects CGLE’s restrained side, where clarity and varietal structure are given priority over heavier fermentation influence.

Finca Las Margaritas is located in Caicedonia, in Colombia’s Valle del Cauca department. The farm sits across high-elevation terrain, with this Sidra selection associated with lots around 1,539 to 1,604 metres above sea level. The area benefits from fertile Andean soils, moderated temperatures, and a mountain climate that supports measured cherry maturation. Within CGLE’s structure, Las Margaritas is divided into smaller farm blocks, allowing each variety to be cultivated and processed with closer traceability. These conditions provide a stable foundation for a washed coffee that depends on clean fruit selection, controlled fermentation, and careful drying.

Sidra is the selected variety for this lot, valued for its aromatic depth, sweetness, and refined cup structure. It is commonly discussed as a hybrid variety with links to Bourbon and Ethiopian genetic material, giving it both density and floral potential when grown under suitable conditions. At Las Margaritas, Sidra is treated as a premium separation rather than a volume variety, with each lot handled to preserve its clarity. The variety’s structure makes it well suited to washed processing because it can express sweetness and aromatics without requiring heavy processing intervention. In this lot, Sidra provides the foundation for a clean, layered Colombian profile shaped by altitude and precise farm management.

For this washed lot, ripe cherries are selectively harvested and floated to separate the denser, healthier fruit from lower-quality material. The selected cherries undergo controlled aerobic fermentation, allowing sweetness and acidity to develop before the coffee is washed. After fermentation, the parchment is rinsed carefully to remove remaining mucilage while maintaining the structure built during fermentation. Drying is carried out under controlled conditions, including mechanical drying at a stable temperature to encourage even moisture reduction. The coffee is then rested in a climate-controlled environment before milling and final preparation, allowing the lot to stabilize before export.

This Las Margaritas Sidra Washed is shaped by the relationship between rare-variety cultivation and CGLE’s controlled processing philosophy. The washed method keeps the coffee focused, allowing the variety and farm conditions to remain clear in the cup. Fermentation is used with restraint, supporting sweetness and structure rather than masking the identity of the Sidra. Careful drying and resting complete the process by protecting the coffee’s aromatic integrity and physical stability. The result is a composed expression of Las Margaritas, built around varietal clarity, clean processing, and the technical discipline associated with Café Granja La Esperanza.

Variety : Sidra
Altitude : 1,539–1,604 MASL
Process : Washed
Origin : Caicedonia, Valle del Cauca