El Meson Summer Harvest, Colombia

Origin

• 🇨🇴 Colombia

Tasting notes

Character

• Sweet
  25

El Mesón embodies the vibrant spirit of a new generation in Colombian coffee farming. At the heart of their work is a remarkable varietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process. called Pink BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars.. Despite its name, it’s not a Bourbon at all. With its cherries ripening to a distinctive orange-pink hue, this variety is a recent migrant from Ethiopia. It sets itself apart with subtle notes of cherry, and white honeyHoney processThe skin is removed but some sticky fruit mucilage is left on during drying. Lands between washed and natural: more sweetness and body than washed, cleaner than natural., with delicate florals that feel both rare and unforgettable. In October 2024, we had the privilege of visiting Finca El Mesón, where Luz Divia Fierro, affectionately known as “Sandy,” and her husband Elpidio (“Pillo”) are cultivating something truly special. On land that once held cattle, they’ve built a thriving coffee farm with over 46,000 Pink Bourbon trees. From the very first cuppingCuppingThe standardized tasting ritual — coarse grounds steeped in hot water, crust broken, slurped from a spoon — used to score and compare coffees., their coffee stopped we in our tracks. The clarity, the balance, and especially the delicate floral notes were striking and surprising — these flavors are rarely found with such consistency. It was immediately clear that this quality was not just luck but the outcome of meticulous care of Sandy and Pillo: from handpicking each cherry to the slow, patient drying process on rooftop beds. But what moved us as deeply as the coffee itself was their story. Sandy and Pillo represent a new generation of producers in southern Huila. While rooted in family traditions, they are boldly carving out their own path with vision and intention. Their farm is a world of its own, a living ecosystem where alongside coffee they grow plantains, yucca, and sugarcane, raise cattle, and are raising their three children on the very same land. It’s a model of sustainability, built on heritage and innovation. Of course, producing coffee of this caliber takes more than passion, it takes people. Skilled pickers hike steep hillsides, harvesting cherry by cherry. Yet too often, these pickers remain the invisible backbone of coffee - underpaid, overlooked, and left out of the protections and benefits that should come with their work. That’s w