Nariño Sweet Symphony: Why Nariño's High Slopes Taste Sweeter

Some coffees are made to be poured quickly. This is not one of them.

In the far southwest of Colombia, near the Ecuadorian border, Nariño rises into some of the highest farmland on the country's coffee map, and our coffee there grows between 1,800 and 2,050 meters. The air is thin, and the days swing from cold mountain nights to bright equatorial sun. The cherries answer in the only way they can: they ripen slowly, in no hurry at all. That patience is the point. Slow ripening concentrates sugar deep in the seed, and everything you taste later begins on these slopes.

Our Nariño Sweet Symphony is shaped by that altitude. Sweetness leads, deep and lasting; chocolatey undertones run beneath it, with a subtle almond note. The body is creamy, and the flavor lingers on the palate. It comes to us through our roasting partner, which works across many smallholder farms in Colombia. It is a washed Caturra from around Taminango and Buesaco, traditionally cultivated and non-GMO, and it scores 85 and above on the Specialty Coffee Association scale.

Nariño has earned its reputation in specialty coffee for exactly this: the sweetness that very high altitude and slow ripening produce. It is a region that rewards patience at every stage, from the slope to the cup.

Give it the cup it deserves. A coffee this expressive asks for a method that stays out of its way. A pour-over is ideal. Use 32 grams of medium-ground coffee to 400 milliliters of water just short of boiling, about 96 degrees Celsius (205 degrees Fahrenheit); bloom the grounds with 64 milliliters for 50 seconds, then pour the rest slowly. Take it black, at least the first time. The sweetness and the chocolatey depth are the whole point, and milk will only quiet them.

Pour it on the morning you intend to notice. That is when a coffee like this returns the favor.