Origin: La Muralla, San Agustin, Huila, Colombia

Producer: Esnaider Ortega Gomez & Family

Farm: La Esperanza

Process: Washed

Varieties: Sidra

Elevation: 1750masl

Importer: Semilla & Monkaaba

Roast: Light

Notes: Black Cherry, Floral, Lime Soda, Ginger Snap

Transparency: 

• We paid Semilla 7.65 USD per pound of exportable green coffee + shipping & storage fees
• Farmgate price was $4,400,000 COP per Carga of parchment 
• FOB price was $6.45/lb.

Esnaider Ortega Gomez & Family. 

We couldn't be more excited to offer this amazing Sidra from the talented Ortega-Gomez family for a second year. They've grown coffee in San Agustin for over 60 years and Esnaider represents the fourth generation. A young and passionate producer, he is the leader of Monkaaba, our export partner that we buy the majority of our Colombian coffee through. We had the privilege to meet and spend time with him and his family during our trip to Colombia in 2024. Esnaider took excellent care of us, driving us from farm to farm, making sure we were well fed and full of Guarapo (sugarcane juice).

It's hard to really put into words how inspiring it is to watch Esnaider work. The passion he has for growing and producing coffee is one thing, but his passion for his work through Monkaaba is truly inspirational. He spends more time in the Monkaaba lab and at other producers farms than he does his own; all with the goal to lift up and educate everyone around him.

In Esnaider’s words:

"These last couple of years have seen a very unique change in my life. After producing coffee with my family for many years, I decided to focus my efforts not only in producing and marketing our coffees, but I wanted to go further with a group of friends. My friend Brendan Adams of Semilla Coffee gave us the opportunity to be able to learn, work, and grow together in this great dream, looking for a real impact in the coffee supply chain.

It was a big change in my life, with moments of despair and discomfort, because many times we felt we were trying to make a change in a system where trust had been lost—a system in which we as small producers have been treated like instruments for companies, where they are only trying to protect their own interests while we’re left to carry a very high percentage of the risk."

The work Esnaider does through Monkaaba is so important. Battling the oppressive systems that are at play in the coffee industry is no easy task, and you can tell from Esnaider's words the difficulties he has faced in doing so. The system is not designed for producers to succeed, and to push back against that is truly admirable. 

Our trip to Colombia really showed us the importance of playing our part as coffee roasters to uplift those producers that are at odds with the industry's status quo. Committing to working with partners such as Monkaaba and Semilla becomes even more important to us when we see the impact that this has on the lives of so many producers. And we couldn't be more honoured to represent their coffee! 

Family, Farm, & Coffee

Though the coffee is sold under Esnaider's name, he will be the first to tell you that the majority of work is done by his father Don Olgar, brother Duvan, mother Lucero, sister Lina, and their long-time field workers (who they work with year over year, and pay well above the region's average). This is common amongst many producing families, though obviously a bit more to the extreme here since Esnaider spends much of his time on his work with Monkaaba.

On their farm they grow a variety of coffees including Tabi, Typica, Red & Yellow Caturra, Castillo, SL28, and of course Sidra. Esnaider believes it's important to have a wide variety of coffee to have a diverse menu for their international clients. He has plans to add even more variety in the future.

Their beneficio was one of the coolest we saw on our trip to Colombia, with many large shade covered drying beds, traditional oak fermentation tanks, and new equipment for creating their own fertilizer by composting coffee cherry. Their family takes huge pride in what they do, and who they work with; they even have wooden plaques with the names of everyone who has visited their farm (including ours now :] )

If you wish to read more about Semilla, Monkaaba, and the work being done in Colombia, head over to their site! Semilla & Monkaaba's Project Page

The Details

This coffee is particularly cool, and was one of the first I've ever knowingly had that was fermented in oak barrels!  A traditional method of fermentation that is not commonly used anymore, overtaken by the ease of tiled fermentation tubs.

On the farm they pick only ripe cherries every 21 days, they then float those cherries, cleaning the exterior while removing any floating duds. They then let the cherry rest for 14 hours before being depulped, where it is then dry fermented for 36 hours in traditional oak tanks. After that long fermentation the coffee is washed thoroughly and put on to raised beds to dry. After milling the coffee was packed in Vac-Sealed bags, prolonging the life of the green coffee and intensifying its flavours!

Sidra is a highly sought-after variety of coffee, bringing in high-premiums and high cup scores. This cup is sweet and unique, with sweet black cherry, soft florals, lime soda, and a rich ginger snap finish.

Brewing Recommendations:

Pour-over: 1:15-17 ratio, we love the 16g-250ml in the Kalita wave.

Espresso: 18.2g-18.8g in / 37g-39g out / 27-30 seconds.