Finca El Trapiche

When Menandro and Irene Chico took over El Trapiche it was planted with the Typica cultivar. Over the years as the trees have needed renewal, they planted Caturra and then more recently Colombia has been introduced to the farm. Farmers, regardless of product, are always looking for more productive, more disease resistance and higher quality crops to plant. In coffee this is not always a straightforward decision. Coffee trees, from seed, take around five years to reach full capacity production. Then to really know if the cultivar is suited to the land and microclimate another five years is generally needed to gain an appreciation of how it does, on average, across several years. With other crops that harvest more than once a year, and grow to full capacity more quickly, the decisions can be reversed or fully implemented in a shorter time. We have been buying coffee from Menandro and Irene for eight years now, and while it has been a key coffee in our Lo Mejor de Nariño which is a component of our Monmouth Espresso, this is the first year we have had it on the counter as a single farm coffee. The cup profile is delicious and full of the fresh fruit we have come to expect from our Nariño coffees.