Colombia Yacuanquer Washed (2022)

The Region

Driving from the capital city of Pasto, situated at the foot of the active Galeras Volcano, to the nearby municipality of Yacuanquer, is a feast for the eyes. As you leave the city and begin to climb into the Andes on a winding stretch of the Pan-American highway that is lined with eucalyptus trees and small potato farms, you realize that here in Nariño you are closer to the clouds. On a clear day, the thick low-lying clouds recede and allow the Galeras to follow you on your journey, riding parallel to the road and lovingly taunting you with its inviting patchwork skirts that highlight greens and golds that warp and change under the passing fog and bright Andean sun.

After about 20 minutes on the highway, your driver and guide, a young coffee buyer and grower from Yacu- anquer, will take a slight right down a road that will first dip low and then begin to climb towards the village center, located at 2,670 m.a.s.l. You continue driving on a well-paved but narrow road that runs the ridge of a verdant cordillera, with the most stunning views imaginable of the vereda of Tasnaque to your left and La Cocha on your right and after stopping the truck abruptly to coax a cluster of tiny sunbathing puppies out of the middle of the road, you will eventually leave the pavement and descend into the lower Yacuanquer area, where the trees are tall and the vegetation is different then up on the ridge. Here, is where the coffee is for this blend is sourced.