Colombia Edward Sandoval Chiroso

Tolima | Chiroso | 1850 masl | Washed

Aromatic and bright, this washed Chiroso brings mango and white grape up front, with panela sweetness rounding things out.

Edward Sandoval’s farm, Finca Canta Ranas, is a three hectare plot reaching up to 1850 meters above sea level in Tolima. Before striking out on his own, Edward spent years as a field technician with the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC). When he left to plant his own farm, he chose varieties the FNC didn’t promote, ones that demand more management but reward it with a higher value cup: Chiroso, Wush Wush, Gesha, and Moka among them. Chiroso itself has an interesting story. The variety had its public debut at the 2012 Colombia Cup of Excellence, when a farmer from Urrao took first place with it. Initially assumed to be a regression of Bourbon or Caturra, recent research published in a scientific journal traced its origins to Ethiopian landraces, which goes a long way toward explaining the cup. The variety is prized for aromatic flavors of fruit, tea, and even florals, and this lot from Edward is a clear case in point.