Thumbnail Filmstrip of Colombia Lomaverde Chiroso Natural Images

Finca Lomaverde is one of five sister properties that are part of the larger Santa Barbara Estate, established by Pedro Echavarria Sr. in the 1970s. Situated in the picturesque community of San Isidro, this farm enjoys the benefits of rich volcanic soil and plentiful natural water sources. The high elevation, rising to 1950 meters above sea level, combined with a subtropical highland climate, provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. The Santa Barbara farms are blessed with ideal terroir. Volcanic soil, high altitude and a model microclimate. Planting on the farms span 1400 to 2000 meters. High altitude coffees, here and in general, take longer to mature but result in coffee with more depth of flavor. The Cauca River valley microclimate provides protective evening warmth from cold Andean nights. The farm has a practice of pruning coffee trees just once when they are six years old, and then, when the trees turn twelve, they are replaced. This keeps the trees and soil healthy, another obsession at Santa Barbara, where they keep track of soil minerals, particularly potassium, which they feel is linked to the development of sugars.

Chiroso is a variety that is beginning to attract a lot of attention and gain fans globally. Most recently, in Panama at the 2024 Best of Panama, first place in the “varietals” category, which encompasses all varieties other than Geisha, a Chiroso received a score of 94.13 (of 100), beating the second place coffee by more than two full points! It was the only Chiroso in the competition.

The Chiroso variety was first cultivated in the Penderisco Valley, in this very same municipality of Urrao, Antioquia. This picturesque area, in Colombia's western mountain range, is where the varietal originated. Although its exact origin remains unknown and formal research is scarce, local coffee farmers share an intriguing story. In the 1980s, a farmer in the region established a coffee nursery, believing he was planting the Caturra variety. As the plants grew, he observed that some had distinctive leaves, which he called "hoja chirosa," meaning ragged leaves. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the region faced a leaf rust outbreak that devastated coffee trees. The farmer noticed that the unique trees were more resistant to the disease, leading to the Chiroso varietal's popularity among local farmers. In 2014, Carmen Cecilia Montoya, a regional farmer, won the Cup of Excellence with her Chiroso coffee, boosting its reputation for high-quality flavor.

During harvest experienced pickers are trained to the particular standards of Santa Barbara owned farms. They want pickers to select only fully ripe beans, leaving behind not only unripe ones but even those that are nearly ripe. This standard is measurable and pickers are paid a bonus to maintain this level of performance. The farms operate their own drymill, which they have outfitted with sophisticated equipment. Thus, the farm controls every aspect of production, and they are extremely proud of this and their overall accomplishments and exactitude.

Country: Colombia
Farm:Loma Verde
Producer: Pedro Echavarria, Jr and Sr
Region: Medellin
Department: Antioquia
Municipality: Urrao
Altitude: 1700 meters
Varietal: Chiroso
Process: Classic Natural
Harvest Season: 2024