Colombian La Laguna Reserva Coffee

Colombian La Laguna Siberia Reserva Excelso EP, Cauca Department 

Think of Colombia and the words that spring most readily to mind are drugs, violence and…. Coffee. 

In the UK, we are mere beginners when it comes to coffee consumption, at just 95 million cups per day; 13% of this comes from a good old jar of instant.  

During adulthood, having abstained from coffee consumption in favour of wine, after my baptism of fire a few weeks ago, I am certainly making up for lost time.  

Amidst the growing global concern about the state of our planet, I have been exploring in some depth the ethics of our consumer behaviour. 

I DO care where the food I eat, the clothes I wear, and the goods I buy come from.  

Hence my sudden interest in Colombia. 

Introduced to a single origin 100% arabica specialty coffee from La Laguna Siberia Reserve, in the north-east of Cauca, I was shocked to discover the brutal murder, in April this year, of Nasa indigenous woman human rights defender Sandra Liliana Peña Chocué, who was violently abducted from her home by four armed men and shot.  

Sandra was governor of the indigenous reserve “La Laguna-Siberia SAT Tama kiwe” and a community leader who was appointed the Education Programme Policy Coordinator of the reserve. In her role as governor, she had spoken out against the increase in illicit crop cultivation in the reserve, subsequently receiving threats from illegal groups that exercise territorial control in the area. It is believed that she was targeted and killed solely due to her peaceful and legitimate work in defence of indigenous peoples’ and land rights. 

Such incidents continue to increase in Colombia, where the authorities seem powerless to act. In 2020 alone the killing of at least 177 human rights defenders in Colombia was recorded, more than half of those recorded worldwide, enabling Colombia to retain its dubious title as the deadliest country in the world in which to defend human rights. 

This co-operative of twelve families formed an association to manage, control and coordinate their coffee because they were fed up with being taken advantage of by middlemen in the area. In 2014, they got in touch with Central Cooperative of Cauca (CENCOIC) and became Fairtrade certified, which kick-started their quest for quality and better prices for their coffee. The majority of the community speak Spanish as their mother tongue but there is currently a drive to revive the local language Nasa Yuwe, and more bilingual schools have been created as a result. 

Tasting notes, depending on whose opinion you consider, reveal much the same variations used when describing wine. The official technical term is ‘cupping’, a standardised process used worldwide to assess coffees and compare them. 

The beans, Colombia, F6, Caturra, Típica & Tabí varietals, are washed and hand sorted to produce a fruity, yet smooth and creamy, single origin, 100% Arabica, Speciality Coffee. 

Grown amongst panela (sugar cane), plantains, pineapples, yucca and lemons, these flavours come through in the sweetness of the cup, with hints of chocolate, grapes, prune, raspberry, redcurrant, caramel and fruit pastilles. 

Whilst communities such as La Laguna struggle to make a new life for themselves, earning an honest living by growing crops that can be exported for our enjoyment, we owe it to them to support their efforts in the face of significant adversity.