Colombia Tolima Finca La Leona Caturra
Captain's Gold top 3! Located in the Planadas region of South Tolima, Finca La Leona is owned and managed by Laura Enciso and her father, Don Afranio Enciso. Together they've overcome tragedy, enjoyed triumphs and built a family business that's truly inspiring. This lot features their caturra variety and makes for a perfect daily driver. Rich, bold, balanced, creamy and clean, it's got big notes of milk chocolate and caramel with a dash of cashew butter, vanilla and key lime.
The story of Finca La Leona (“The Lioness Farm”) is quite a rollercoaster. Located in southern Tolima in a region called Planadas, it was owned and managed by Don Afranio Enciso and his son for many years. They worked together to improve their crop year after year until they finally placed 8th in Colombia in 2015’s Cup of Excellence. Considering there were thousands of entrants that year, I would have been impressed if they’d placed top 50, so placing in the top 10 is incredible. But it was at the height of his career that Don Enciso’s whole world would come crashing down with the tragic death of his son.
In his grief, he retreated from coffee and his farm was left abandoned for 2 years. But his daughter, Laura Enciso, refused to allow Finca La Leona’s story to end in tragedy. So she rolled up her sleeves and after years of hard work, has rebuilt La Leona and her family’s legacy. These days Don Enciso has rekindled his joy of coffee by managing the work on the ground – seeing after the field workers, leading their efforts and meeting their needs, while Laura manages the business and commercial interests of the farm. Their partnership and inspiring story drew us to their coffee, but truth be told, the coffee really sells itself!
This selection from La Leona is made up entirely of the Caturra variety, which makes is perfect for a daily driver coffee. Whether it’s served single origin or as part of a house blend, this is a rock solid cup that delivers everything you’re looking for from a fully washed Colombian coffee. Rich and bold yet balanced and clean. Gently bright and just a touch sweet. Big chocolate and caramel tones with a dash of vanilla and cashew. It’ll take a wide range of roast levels well and be both forgiving to beginners yet satisfying to roasters of all experience levels. What more could you ask for?
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Arrival Date: January 29th, 2025. Harvest year: 2024, Packed in GrainPro
Acidity & Brightness: Gently bright and slightly sweet.
Balance & Finish: Balanced with a clean finish.
Body & Texture: Rich bodied with a creamy-to-velvety texture
Flavors: Milk chocolate, caramel, cashew, vanilla & key lime.
Grade: Excelso, 14/16 screen size, Grown at 1,800 – 2,100 masl, SHB
Processing: Fully washed, sun dried on patios.
Grower: Don Afranio & Laura Enciso | Finca La Leona
Region: Gaitania Village, Planadas, Southern Tolima, Colombia.
Varieties: Caturra
Recommended Roast Range: City+ to Vienna (Light-Medium to Dark)
We like this coffee best at Full City (Full Medium) or between 1st and 2nd crack. Go slightly lighter, to around the tail end of 1st crack, to bring out more citrus notes like key lime. Roasts taken to the darker side of medium will take the milk chocolate and caramel notes and turn up the cocoa content for more of a dark chocolate and toffee feel. Also you’ll squeeze a bit more texture and body out of the cup at the expense of brightness.
Belco Coffee - " La Finca La Leona is in the south of Tolima, in the region of Planadas and more precisely in the village of Gaitania. Afranio Enciso, whose personal history would leave no-one indifferent. He used to run the farm with his son. They worked together to improve the quality of their coffee, for example by testing different varieties and perfecting their post-harvest processes. Efforts that bore fruit, because in 2015 they finished 8th in the Cup of Excellence. This is quite an achievement, because over 1,000 coffees were competing, and a good indication of the exceptional properties of their terroir.
Sadly, Afranio’s life fell apart when he learned that his son had died. The farm was abandoned for over two years before his daughter, Laura, took it over. There are still far too few companies managed by women in this country. Nowadays, Laura oversees all the commercial and marketing areas. While Don Afranio likes to be on the ground with the pickers, bringing them food, being aware of all the field duties, and running the business by his daughter’s side.
Finca La Leona is located in the Tolima region, in the Planadas terroir. Being able to harvest coffee all year round, thanks to the two harvest periods, from October to December and from May to July.
Of the farm's 43 hectares, 25 are dedicated to growing coffee. The farm is managed by Laura Enciso, who has been in charge since 2019. The management of the farm is exemplary, with very little use of products, only when necessary to protect the coffee trees from rust and coffee borers.”
