Pedro Echavarria was greatly inspired by Don Alejandro Angel's legacy, who became the first major exporter of Colombian coffee after convincing the European and American traders of the distinctive qualities of Arabica coffee.
After much deliberation, Pedro decided to grow his coffee in a small county in the Andean mountains, called Santa Barbara. Microclimates, singular volcanic soils, perfect altitude and a tradition of excellence in coffee production made the region an excellent choice. In time, Pedro constantly increased production capacity and consolidated the various lands he bought, which brings us to the 5 sister farms that Santa Barbara Estate is today.
Pedro's son, Pedro Jr., has also recently become deeply involved in improving the processing and monitoring of coffee production in the farm. Together with Leonardo Henao Triana, the Director of Coffee at Santa Barbara, they manage the wet mill with a blend of art, industrial rigor and constant curiosity.
Beginning of 2011, the farm started work with Mercanta and have recently made Finca Agualinda available for the first time in 2018. Hand harvested selectively, the cherries are brought to the highest part of the road and are then delivered to the family's mill, La Joyeria. Due to low temperatures in the region, the cherries undergo an extended fermentation for the coffee to achieve the ideal amount of mucilage reduction.
After cherries are delivered to the mill, they are submerged in water to remove floaters before going through fermentation for a day. The cherries are then pulped to remove the external fruit and once again placed in water to ferment up to 5 days. This raises the PH level and produces a fruit forward cup without the acetic acid and vinegary qualities. The coffee is then dispersed on raised beds to dry under the sun for up to 15 days. Afterwards they are bagged and transported to the Pergamino dry mill in Medellin.
Agua Linda brings a structured body that is smooth and notes of red plums encompassed by a lingering sweetness of panela.
Recommended to rest beans for 7-10 days from roast date before consuming.
