Colombia, Finca El Placer: The Story Behind the Coffee

Some coffees first get your attention through flavor. Others invite you to look a little deeper at where they come from and what happens before they reach your cup.

Our Colombia, Finca El Placer does both.

Produced by Daniel Mauricio Bolaños Zuniga in Huila, Colombia, this Caturra microlot is grown at 1,650–1,700 meters above sea level and processed using an Anaerobic Washed method.

In the cup, raspberry jam, melon and lime lead the profile, joined by sangria, fruit cocktail, and sweet red wine.

But there is more to this coffee than what you taste.

Finca El Placer: The Place and People Behind the Coffee

Finca El Placer is located in Huila, in southwestern Colombia between the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes, with the Magdalena Valley running through the region. Variations in elevation, climate and harvest cycles all contribute to Huila’s coffee-growing landscape.

Huila accounts for nearly 20% of Colombia’s coffee production, yet 80% of its coffee producers operate on less than three hectares. Behind the scale of the region are individual farms and producers, each contributing to the coffee Huila is known for.

Daniel Mauricio Bolaños Zuniga is one of those producers.

He owns and operates Finca El Placer and La Esperanza, both part of the Asociacion los Naranjos in San Agustin. The farms sit at approximately 1,700 and 1,650 meters above sea level respectively, and each cover five hectares, with coffee trees and other produce grown on-site.

Once the cherries are harvested, another part of that story begins.

Inside Daniel’s Anaerobic Washed Process

Processing is one of the factors that can influence the character of a coffee.

For Finca El Placer, that process is Anaerobic Washed, with fermentation taking place in a low-oxygen environment before the coffee is washed and dried. But Anaerobic Washed is not a single, fixed recipe. Producers can approach the process differently, and Daniel’s method follows its own distinct sequence.

After harvest, the cherries are placed in water to remove impurities before beginning a two-stage fermentation process. They ferment for 48 hours, are then pulped, and return to the container with a small amount of water for an additional 72 hours. From there, the coffee is washed and dried on African raised beds or parabolic drying beds for approximately 20–25 days.

Understanding those details gives us a clearer picture of the coffee long before it reaches the roaster. Processing is one part of the story. Just as important are the place, and the people, behind it.

And ultimately, it all leads back to the cup.

Back to the Cup

Raspberry jam, melon and lime lead the profile, joined by notes of vanilla, honey, stone fruit and plum. The body is thick and juicy, with creamy, satiny roundness and a bright, tangy character.

Those flavors are where the story comes together.

From Daniel and Finca El Placer to the processing approach and the broader coffee-growing community of Huila, each part gives a little more context to the coffee in your cup.

Now there is only one part left: brew it, taste it and enjoy.