Farm info

Finca La Cristalina is located in Vereda Bajo Español, in the municipality of Chinchina. Its 21 hectares reach between 1460 and 1790 meters above sea level, with 4 hectares kept as a natural forest reserve. The three Valdes family farms—Parana, La Cristalina, and San Pablo—are highly technified properties all maintained under Luis’ brand Café Cuatro Generaciones. Named for the four generations of his family that have been involved in coffee production now, the three farms maintain admirable levels of production thanks to their combined total of 421,000 trees, 142,000 of which grow on Finca La Cristalina.

Finca La Cristalina maintains a focus on the environment and supporting biodiversity. Coffee is washed and depulped at the ecological mill, where coffee pulp is placed into compost treatment and is converted to organic fertilizer for the coffee trees. La Cristalina also uses various types of trees to shade the coffee plants. Many of these tree species—including walnut, red cedar, and guava—act as habitats for many types of birds around the farm. They also plant black cedar trees, a tree at risk of extinction, from its own nursery on the farm.

This lot of Caturra and Bourbon coffee underwent Natural processing. La Cristalina uses a unique system for drying Natural coffees. To maintain stable levels of humidity given Colombia’s naturally humid climate, coffee cherries are placed in an oven-style dryer with warm air currents circulating above and below the cherries. The temperature is set to not exceed 35 degrees Celsius and the constant airflow dries the coffee evenly to avoid defects and preserve the sweet, fruity, and complex flavors inherent in the beans.

Region

Caldas

Caldas is one of Colombia’s principal coffee growing Departments. Along with neighboring Risaralda and Quindío, it forms part of the “coffee axis” or “coffee triangle,” indicating the important coffee activities—from research to social support programs to freeze drying to dry milling—that take place in the area, which is in turn part of the Coffee Cultural Landscape, recognized by UNESCO as a World Coffee Cultural Heritage site.

Caldas’ rolling landscape is defined by slopes planted with coffee. High, chilly cities and towns sit along mountain ridges, where smallholder farms and mid-sized estates are planted with predominately monoculture coffee, protected from excess sun by the region’s near constant misty cloud cover. Many programs of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation have their official seats in Caldas, including the Cenicafe research facility.

Many farms in Caldas are comparatively accessible by main road, facilitating speed of processing and export. The Department is home to many respected universities and coffee producers have access to many business and education resources.