Colombia - Elkin Guzman - Honey

This coffee is produced by Elkin Guzman at El Mirador, a family farm with over 70 years of history located in Huila, one of Colombia’s most complex and dynamic coffee-growing regions. Huila sits between the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes, with the Magdalena Valley running through it. The region’s wide elevation range, combined with consistent climate patterns and multiple harvest cycles, contributes to its reputation for producing high-quality and expressive coffees. Elkin Guzman represents a newer generation of producers who combine inherited knowledge with a scientific and experimental approach to coffee processing. After studying agricultural engineering at Cauca University, he returned to El Mirador and began applying structured research and experimentation to improve both processing methods and overall coffee quality. His work is influenced by both traditional Colombian practices and modern processing innovation. One of the notable aspects of Elkin’s work is his exploration of hybrid processing techniques. A key example is the Natural-Hydro-Honey approach, where cherries are first dried as natural, then rehydrated, depulped, and finished as a honey process. While unconventional, these methods aim to manipulate fermentation and drying stages to create unique and controlled cup profiles. This particular lot is representative of commonly grown Colombian varieties, primarily Castillo and Caturra. These varieties, developed and promoted through Colombia’s national coffee research programs, are widely recognized for their adaptability, disease resistance, and balanced cup characteristics. The coffee falls within the microlot category, meaning it has been selected based on cup quality (typically scoring 87+), with a high level of traceability. Production at this scale allows for greater control over processing variables and consistency from lot to lot. Overall, this coffee reflects a combination of regional characteristics from Huila - clarity, structure, and complexity.