Ninety-one year old Euripides Aldana produces stunningly sweet coffees in southern Colombia on his estate, Finca Salamina. He has owned Finca Salamina since 1964 and has been a coffee producer his whole life.
Even at 91, Euripides is still very involved with the day-to-day production on the farm and is as strong as a man half his age. He works in every aspect of the production and he also harvests other fruits on his land, including plantains. When Bold Bean arrived on the farm he was shouldering a bushel of plantains. The day of their visit, Mr. Aldana walked them around his farm and showed them Páramo Miraflores—the reserve that borders his land. The reserve creates a micro-climate on much of his land that results in slower photosynthesis in his plants causing his coffee cherries to ripen slower. His coffee cups like it has been grown at higher elevation due to the slowness of ripening in his coffee.
This is Bold Bean’s first year working with Euripides.*
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Colombia Finca Salamina, from Bold Bean Coffee Roasters in Jacksonville, Florida. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS
origin: Vereda Las Palmitas, Garzon, Huila, Colombia
farm: Finca Salamina
producer: Euripides Aldana
association: N/A
elevation: 1600 meters above sea level
cultivars: Colombia Heirloom
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of the Colombia Finca Salamina is sweet and fragrant, but it’s also pretty mellow and subdued. Soft notes of melon, vanilla, stone fruit, and florals.
Similar to its aroma, Finca Salamina’s flavor profile is pretty mellow and it has a soft, honeyed mouthfeel which is characterized by flavors of vanilla cream, caramel, and cane sugar. I’m also tasting some nuances of soft florals in the cup: rose petal and honeysuckle. There are plenty of fruit flavors happening in the cup, too—particularly as it cools: each sip presents cantaloupe, peach, fig, raspberry, golden currant, and a mellow nectarine acidity before concluding with a clean, satisfying finish.
Medium body; honeyed mouthfeel; citric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS
When it comes to clean, elegant Central and South American coffees, Bold Bean Coffee Roasters have consistently delivered every time they’ve graced the Table. And this coffee—their Colombia Finca Salamina—keeps the trend going.
While the Colombia Finca Salamina isn’t necessarily going to blow you away, it does provide a pleasant, relaxed cupping experience. With its clean profile, balance, and sweet flavors of light sugars, mellow fruits, and soft florals, it’s easy like Sunday morning.
*content provided by Bold Bean Coffee Roasters
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.