Jairo Arcila

Producer – Jairo Arcila

Location – Armenia, Quindio

Farm – Santa Monica

Variety – Caturra

Years Used – 3

Altitude – 1450-1500 MASL

Process – Washed

Suitable For – All filter brewing methods

Roast Level – Light

Importer – Cofinet

Cupping Notes – Mandarin, Caramelised Apple, Apricot

Disclaimer: Cupping notes are a guide based on what we tasted whilst cupping this coffee. Your experience may differ depending on brewing method.

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We’re thrilled to welcome back this beautiful Caturra from Jairo Arcila — a shining example of a clean, sweet, and classically delicious washed Colombian coffee. Now in our third year working with this lot, we genuinely believe this season’s harvest is the best yet.

In the cup, expect crisp mandarin and apricot-like acidity, a gentle white chocolate and caramelised apple body, with a clean, refreshing finish.

Don Jairo hails from Quindío, where Santa Monica — his own farm — sits among some of Colombia’s most celebrated coffee-growing landscapes. A highly respected third-generation farmer, he is also the father of Cofinet founders Carlos and Felipe Arcila, and husband to Luz Helena Salazar, one of the region’s most skilled producers.

About

Jairo began his career at Colombia’s second-largest coffee exporter, where he worked as Mill Manager for over 40 years until retiring in 2019. In 1987, he purchased his first coffee farm, Finca La Esmeralda, where he planted his first lot of Caturra. Balancing full-time work with farming, he reinvested his earnings to eventually acquire five additional farms: Villarazo, Mazatlán, Santa Monica, Maracay, and Buenos Aires.

During harvest season, Jairo creates employment opportunities for local workers, contributing meaningfully to the local economy.

With the expert guidance of his sons, Jairo has significantly enhanced his coffee production practices—improving picking, sorting, and processing techniques, while also embracing the cultivation of exotic coffee varieties such as Pink Bourbon, Java, Papayo, and Gesha. This collaboration has enabled him to produce exceptional coffees with distinct flavour profiles.

In addition to coffee, Jairo cultivates a range of crops including mandarins, oranges, plantains, and bananas. He values a hearty breakfast to start the day—and above all, he cherishes spending time with his family.

This coffee is harvested with strict criteria regarding ripeness of the cherries. They are floated and hand sorted to remove any defect cherries - this is an effective way to find any defects as they float while the good cherries sink.

Once sorted, the cherries are then fermented underwater for 30 hours, pulped, then gently washed and dried in temperature controlled conditions until the ideal moisture content is reached.

The Variety

This microlot is 100% Caturra; this variety is originally from Minas Gerais in Brazil, and is a natural mutation of Red Bourbon. The plants are grown in volcanic ash soil at 1450-1500 MASL in temperatures between 18-28c.

Filter Recipe

This is a good starting point for all of our Filter coffees. Adjust Accordingly to your own preference.

Ground Coffee: 20g

Brewed Weight: 320g

Contact Time: 3-3:30 mins

Water

Your brewing water can make or break whether a coffee tastes vibrant and expressive or flat and muted. Since local water supplies vary, we’ve partnered with Apax Lab to help optimise your home brewing water.

The following recipes are designed as starting points, focusing on clarity and even extraction to let the coffee’s natural acidity and sweetness shine.

For the Low-Key Approach

Base Water: Christchurch tap water

• Hardness (GH): 45ppm

• Alkalinity (KH): 52ppm

Apax Drops per 1L:

• Tonik: 10 drops

• Jamm: 5 drops

Since the alkalinity is already relatively high, Lilac is not needed, as alkalinity naturally buffers acidity. Instead, we focus on Tonik to increase hardness for improved extraction and Jamm to enhance texture, helping round out the cup.

For the Coffee Geek

Base Water: Fully distilled water (<1ppm TDS)

Apax Drops per 1L:

• Tonik: 30 drops

• Jamm: 5 drops

• Lilac: 10 drops

This recipe provides a balanced foundation that can be adjusted further depending on your taste preferences and the coffee being brewed.

If you are outside of Christchurch, we recommend using the distilled water recipe. 

Always add to the water before brewing - not the brewed coffee. 

If you need assistance or are simply curious about the Apax drops, our Head of Coffee, James, welcomes all enquiries. You can get in touch at james@coffeeembassy.co.nz.

Recommended Brewing Age

12+ days after roast date