Colombia, Ají 2

Expect notes of Blackcurrant, Toffee, Vanilla

Ají is a rare coffee variety you won’t often see, so it’s no surprise that it’s got an interesting story. Named Ají by José Herman Salazar, he first stumbled upon it on his farm, La Guaca, in Pitalito, Colombia. José noticed a distinct sweet red pepper scent wafting through the air during the cherry harvest, from a crop of some of his coffee trees that looked a little different. Intrigued, he decided to isolate these trees and process coffee exclusively from them.

After extensive experimentation to perfect the processing method for this unique variety, José submitted it to the Colombia Cup of Excellence and secured 6th place. This achievement is no small feat from over a thousand submissions. While José's coffee didn't clinch the top spot, it became a standout from the competition, the organisers being astounded by the taste profile of this coffee and having never encountered the Ají variety before. Intrigued, they decided to conduct genetic testing to confirm its uniqueness. The results revealed that this variety was a first-generation offspring from the wild coffee forests of Ethiopia, similar to Gesha. In these lush forests, hundreds of undiscovered coffee varieties thrive, untouched and unexplored.