Colombia Forest Collective Caturra Syrup

Handpicked Caturra cherries are carefully fermented, dried and stabilised over 30 days. Traditional and modern methods unlock caramel, hazelnut and floral notes in a refined, well-balanced cup that preserves the coffee’s intricate character.

The coffee

• Tasting notes: caramel, hazelnut, floral
• Variety: Caturra
• Process: Washed
• Farmer: Alexander Hernández
• Farm: La Esperanza
• Region: Huila, Colombia
• Municipality: Pitalito
• Altitude: 1,800m

The process

Each cherry is handpicked and inspected so only the finest fruit is used. The cherries undergo a 24-hour aerobic pre-fermentation in their natural state, which begins to develop floral notes.

After depulping, the beans enter a 50-hour anaerobic fermentation in sealed tanks, building rich notes of caramel and hazelnut.

Drying combines five days on African raised beds with eight hours in mechanical dryers for precise, consistent moisture. Finally, the coffee is stabilised for 30 days in GrainPro bags, letting the flavours mature and harmonise into a well-balanced, refined cup.

The producers

Alexander was born in 1982 in Valparaíso, in the Colombian region of Caquetá, an area deeply affected by armed conflict. In 2007 he was forced to leave and arrived in Pitalito, Huila.

His farm, La Esperanza, was already producing coffee when he took it over, and he has been cultivating speciality coffee ever since. He works alongside his wife and four children on 12 hectares of Caturra, F6 and Castillo, and the farm is Rainforest certified. Alexander’s goal is to keep improving the quality of his coffee and the farm’s infrastructure, and with them his family’s quality of life.

Hand-roasted in small batches in Hampshire. Join the OHCO Coffee Club to save 15% on every bag, with the freedom to pause, skip or cancel anytime.

• Espresso: about 18g in, 36–40g out in 25–30 seconds
• V60 / filter: 15g coffee to 250ml water just off the boil
• Cafetière: 30g coarse ground to 500ml water, steep for 4 minutes
• AeroPress: 15g to 200ml water, steep 1–2 minutes, then press
• Pick your grind under Grind above, or choose whole bean if you grind at home

• Whole beans taste best within 4–6 weeks of roasting
• Ground coffee loses its aroma faster, so use it within 1–2 weeks of opening
• Reseal the bag or use an airtight container, and keep it somewhere cool, dry and out of sunlight
• Skip the fridge: moisture and smells dull the flavour