Origin: Colombia
Farm: Santa Mónica
Varietal: Bourbon Aruzi
Altitude: 1500 MASL
Certification: Micro-lot
Process: 30hr Anaerobic Washed
Cup Score: 88.5
Dried Strawberries, Meringue & Earl Grey
Our final instalment of 2025 competition coffee is a beautiful washed Aruzi; a rare and newly discovered varietal.
With exceptional deep complexity and layered vibrancy this showcase highlights Colombia's top rare varieties production, again produced by Jairo Arcila at Santa Mónica.
This is our 5th year working with Jairo, his coffee continues to be progressive and unique year on year.
The newly discovered Aruzi variety is currently being studied by a laboratory in London which has found the genetics and structure are similar to Ethiopian Heirloom, a prized variety celebrated for its genetic diversity and complex profiles.
Processing
This coffee is harvested following strict ripeness criteria, it is first floated and hand-
sorted to remove any defects. The cherries are then exposed to 30 hours of underwater fermentation before being pulped. Next the parchment is gently washed and finally the coffee is dried in temperature controlled conditions until ideal moisture content is achieved.
Producer
Jairo Arcila is a 63 year old third generation coffee grower in Quindio, Colombia. He first worked as a mill manager for Colombia’s second largest exporter for over 40 years, and managed to earn a supplemental income alongside this full-time job.
Jairo started growing coffee 35 years ago when his father got very sick and could not manage his farm anymore. After a few years Jairo managed to purchase his own land and continues growing coffee until today.
He is married to Luz Helena Salazar, a now renowned coffee producer in her own right, they had two children together: Carlos and Felipe Arcila who also produce their own coffee lots and are the co-founders of Cofinet.
Farm
Finca Maracay and Santa Móinca sits at 1450 masl, and has been owned by the Arcila family since 1990.
Jairo purchased his first coffee farm, Finca La Esmeralda, in 1987 where he planted his first Caturra lot. Using his savings Jairo slowly managed to purchase five additional farms. First Villarazo, then Mazatlan, Santa Monica, Maracay and Buenos Aires. During harvest time he is able to provide much needed jobs to locals, which has a significant economic impact on their community.
With the help of his 2 sons, Jairo has improved picking, sorting, and the processing of his coffee and also now grows exotic varieties like Pink Bourbon, Papayo and Geisha across all his farms.
Varietal
This variety was discovered in Inza, Cauca when a coffee tree was found to look very different from the typical coffee grown in the region.
This unknown variety had a higher yield and was more resistant. As a result, farmers began to grow this variety. Subsequently, the seeds were studied by a laboratory in London which found that the genetics and structure were similar to the Ethiopian Bourbon Aruzi.”
This unknown variety was first discovered in Inza, Cauca when a coffee tree was found to look very different from the typical coffee grown in the region. Farmers began to cultivate the variety when they learnt that it produced a high yield, and proved resistant. Further studying of the seeds in a laboratory found that the genetics and structure were similar to the Ethiopian Bourbon Aruzi.