Los Magnificos SL28 - Colombia

Vibrant and juicy. Tasting like mango, green grapes, and vanilla cream. Origin: Colombia Region: San Agustín, Huila Producer: Various producers from the Monkaaba group Elevation: 1600 - 1989 masl Variety: SL28 Process: Washed (Processing varies between producers, and each producer delivers their parchment to the Monkaaba warehouse, where it is then tasted, analyzed, and selected for this lot) Roasted for: Filter - We source this lot through our partners at Semilla and Monkaaba, and as always, the way they work simply makes sense, serving a true purpose while also ensuring incredibly high quality. This lot represents the fourth iteration of Los Magnificos, designed to ensure that small lots of higher-quality coffee can still be purchased despite their size. The vast majority of the producers involved in this blend manage very small plots, and as a result, often deliver tiny amounts of coffee. In cases where they have more land, this allows Semilla to take small amounts that might come from a single pass and avoid waiting for a lot of size to be delivered from a single producer, during which time the quality might suffer. This type of quantity would be difficult to mill and export on its own (or at the very least, highly costly and time-consuming), but the quality of this coffee and others involved was high enough that rejecting it based on size would lead them to sell it to another larger buyer where it would likely receive a lower price and then be anonymously blended into massive regional lots that move with little traceability, leaving the smallholder wondering where their coffee went and how to build on the sale. It’s still a sad reality of the global coffee system—and especially in a large producing state like Huila—that the logistics and management around small lots are too costly or time-consuming to make economic sense for buyers. As a result, it’s not only that the quality must be high, but a smallholder must also have the requisite quantity to earn the higher prices they deserve. Los Magnificos aims to open opportunities and give smallholders a steady foundation to build from as they take the challenging steps of improving their post-harvest processing practices. Even in small amounts, the revenue earned makes a difference, but more importantly, it creates a space for community, dialogue, and learning that is normally not offered to such smallholders. The result is often a holding pattern where buyers can benefit, and smallholders are motivated or incentivized to improve and grow.