The Artery Community Roasters - Picnic Del Pastor

The Artery Community Roasters - Picnic Del Pastor

$21.50


This is one of the nicest washed coffees we've had the pleasure of drinking all year! Sweet and floral, it sparkles in the cup. We really love it! 

Pastor Ordonez, the third generation producer who grows this delicate coffee with such skill and devotion, has been farming for over 30 years on one leg and crutches. 

Don't miss out on this high scoring coffee that is really special for so many different reasons, from the farm to the cup! 

ORIGIN + VARIETY: SINGLE PRODUCER - Colombia / Pink Bourbon
TASTING NOTES: Cotton candy + peach ice tea + tart apple + honey
ROAST: Light
PRODUCER: Pastor Ordonez
FARM: El Placer
REGION: San Agustin, Huila 
ALTITUDE: 1800 masl
PROCESS: Washed 

SIZE: Available in 227g, 340g, 454g, and 908g bags. 

GRIND: Whole Bean, Filter, French Press and Espresso/Moka Pot.

More about the processing method:

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness, then left for 8 hours in sealed bags before being placed in the hopper and left for another 12 hours. The cherries are then released through the depulper and left to dry ferment for 36 hours. The coffee is then washed 3-5 times and moved directly to raised drying beds. The coffee dries for between 18-30 days, depending on the sun exposure. When the sun is very strong, a sliding roof is moved over to give more shade and slow drying.

Specialty coffee has a problem. One where lots of roasters, and even consumers, choose to value high scoring coffees over genuine direct-trade relationships with producers. As roasters who are trying to embrace the Fourth Wave, we have chosen our relationships with farmers over the pursuit of the "perfect cup". And it has paid off in many ways, including this incredible coffee. 

The 2020/2021 main harvest was a difficult year for many of the producers. Climate Change continues to wreak havoc on the San Agustin area, with wildly fluctuating temperatures, high winds and rains, and limited sun. Many of the producers reported issues in all stages of production this year, from low yield, to cherry loss due to rain, to flowering problems, to slow drying times due to lack of sun.

This blend was born to help a farmer who had a coffee that didn't at first, turn out as expected. Instead of selling it locally at lower prices, our friends at Semilla coffee and Monkaaba created a blend to elevate the underperforming coffee. We had already committed to buying this coffee to support our farmer friend, and then committed to the blend. Little did we know that with some rest, the coffee really developed nicely and the blend ended up being a really unique cup that was very well scored when graded. This just shows that true partnerships are a win-win for all parties, and furthers our commitment and resolve to always put our relationships with farmers above the pursuit of 90 plus coffees, the likes of which many people won't appreciate or even enjoy. The truth is we don't ever buy bad coffee because the incredible farmers we work with don't grow bad coffee. But we don't try and chase subjective, misleading and inconsistent cup scores. We don't ask farmers or our importer to send us sample after sample when deciding which coffees to buy. Most coffee we buy is based on trust and relationships.

Brewing Tips: 

  • ESPRESSO: If wanting to pull this light roast as an espresso, we recommend playing with you ratios a bit to ward off a shot that might be a bit too bright. Try a 1:2.5 ratio, and grind a litter finer for a longer shot. We pulled this roast with 18g in, 38g out, at 36 seconds on our Silvia and it was great. But as always play around with it! 
  • POUR OVER: We recommend grinding a touch medium/medium-fine for this roast, 2-3 pours (post bloom) so you get the acids and brightness of this delicate light roast. We use a 1:14 for this one and it's so complex in the cup at such a ratio. But as always experiment, you may prefer a 1:16 ratio and 3-4 pours for more body and less acid! It really does well on flat or coned filters and we've been using it almost exclusively with our Origami. 
  • FRENCH PRESS: We recommend the James Hoffman method for this roast: 1:16.67 ratio // medium grind (not too coarse) // add water, do not stir, brew for 4 minutes // after 4 mins break crust gently, scoop everything off that floats // let sit for another 5-8 minutes // don't press all the way, only use it as a filter at the surface of the brew.
  • ICED COFFEE: Perfect as a pour over flash freeze brew. Use large cocktail ice, lower your brewing ratios and then prepare as you usually would!