Colombia El Diamante

Why We Love It

“Coffee is my passion. I am not doing this for money, this is what I am passionate about. This is a way of living for me.” - Neftali Castro

Neftali’s dedication to coffee production is immediately recognizable. While at face value descriptors such as “lemon” and “brown sugar” may sound like standard Colombian coffee, Neftali’s meticulous processing creates a harmonious and intensely flavorful cup, where the “typical” flavors of Colombian coffee are amplified and refined. Imagine bright and fresh lemon acidity, paired with lush stone fruit like a ripe nectarine, finished with a lingering and decadent brown sugar sweetness. It’s coffees like these that make us truly excited to be working with some of the best coffee producers in the world. 

To best express these flavors, we highly recommend grinding fresh and using a Hario V60 brewer or Aeropress, both of which are great options for methodical brewing. Finer grinds and longer brewing times will highlight the deeper sugary tones of El Diamante, while faster brews with a slightly coarser grind will bring the citrus acidity to the forefront. 

About the Coffee

El Diamante is located in the town of Cajamarca, which translates to “Cold Land” in Quechua. Cajamarca is also known as the “food pantry” of Colombia because of its rich heritage of providing a variety of cold-weather agricultural products. Lucky for us the intense cool weather is ideal for specialty coffee production. 

This particular selection from Neftali’s farm is called “La Locura,” or “The Madness.” This lot is a blend of nearly 17 — yes, 17! — rare and unique varieties from El Diamante, and the result is a cup experience that’s exciting, inspiring, and wonderful. We hope to separate out several of the prominent varieties from Neftali’s farm in the future in order to experience the nuanced differences between his many varieties. 

About the Producer

Neftali Castro is a young and ambitious producer from the Tolima department of Colombia. Growing up surrounded by coffee, Neftali quickly began learning the intricacies of producing excellent coffee on his parent’s farm, El Diamante or “the Diamond.” In 2011, Neftali entered the Cup of Excellence competition and won third place, solidifying him as a leader and innovator in his community and in the department of Tolima. 

Since then, Neftali has committed himself to refining his skills as a producer. One way he has done this is by cultivating a multitude of rare varieties on his farm, including Caturra Chiroso, Typica, Yellow Bourbon, and Gesha, to name a few Today, Neftali is continuing to experiment with new varieties and improving his processes to create coffees that are breathtakingly excellent, a testament to his resolve and passion for coffee production. Neftali has also partnered with several producers in his community of Cajamarca to grow gesha and other high-value varieties.