Colombia - Black Condor / Washed (Green Coffee) 1KG

Black Condor is a community-produced washed coffee from Planadas, Tolima, bringing together Caturra and Castillo grown by smallholder producers participating in the Black Condor Project.

The project was established in partnership between Forest Coffee and local producer Emmanuel in 2019, building on a processing centre created by Emmanuel and his family several years earlier. The centre provides producers from more than 15 surrounding villages with access to centralised processing and greater control over the quality and consistency of their coffees.

The region has also been deeply affected by Colombia's history of armed conflict. Today, the Black Condor Project works with more than 100 independent producers, providing access to a shared washing station, quality-focused workshops and education around fermentation, drying and cupping, alongside payments above the prevailing market rate.

The coffee is grown between approximately 1,650 and 1,950 metres above sea level, where the higher elevations and cooler conditions provide a strong foundation for sweetness and structure. Ripe cherries are harvested and depulped before the coffee undergoes a traditional washed process.

Following depulping, the coffee remains with its mucilage for approximately 24 hours, allowing fermentation to develop sweetness and complexity before the coffee is washed. It is then transferred to drying patios, where it dries slowly for approximately 15–25 days. Once the desired moisture content is reached, the coffee undergoes a period of stabilisation before milling, helping create a consistent and dependable regional lot.

Black Condor forms part of our premium regional and blender offering at Brew Methods Green. It's a coffee selected for value and versatility, but one that sits comfortably above what we would consider a basic regional lot.

We particularly like it for espresso, where its caramel and panela sweetness, red fruit and almond-like character create a rich and balanced cup that works exceptionally well with milk. It also makes an excellent foundation for blending, bringing sweetness, body and structure while leaving room for more expressive coffees to contribute their own character.

Roasted with a little more restraint, there's also enough fruit and acidity here to produce a really enjoyable everyday filter coffee.

For us, that's exactly the appeal of Black Condor, it's dependable and versatile without being boring, with plenty of sweetness and character to make it a genuinely tasty coffee in its own right.

Expected flavour profile: Almond, caramel, red fruits and panela.