La Esperanza

About the Coffee

Ximena Cifuentes grows this Caturra at La Esperanza, her farm in Buesaco, Nariño, at 2100 to 2400 meters. The elevation matters here. Cooler temperatures and volcanic soil slow down how fast the cherries ripen, giving the coffee more time to develop. The farm also sits near the Meneses stream, where mountain air currents keep humidity steady through the year.

Processing is washed, done the traditional way and guided by feel rather than a fixed schedule. After the cherries are picked, they're floated to sort out underripe or damaged ones, then fermented in open tanks with daily mixing to keep fermentation even across the batch. Nariño's moderate temperatures let this fermentation run longer without turning harsh, which builds structure and clarity in the cup. Once washed, the coffee dries slowly in the sun over 8 to 15 days.

Somewhere Coffee picked this lot because it reflects where it's from without overstating it. The altitude, the climate, the processing choices, they all show up in the final coffee in a way that reads as honest rather than engineered for effect.

About Somewhere Coffee

Somewhere Coffee Co. is a small roastery based in Sherwood Park, Alberta. It started with a simple set of questions: where does this coffee come from, and why does it taste different from the last one. Chasing those answers turned into a roastery.

Sourcing comes first for them. They work with importers who build long-term relationships with producers, and they try to get as close to the story behind each coffee as possible, sharing details on the farm, the producer, and the processing whenever they can. Every coffee goes through a round of sample roasts before it's approved for production, cupped and adjusted until they're confident they've found the roast that shows the coffee at its best.

Ximena's lot stood out to me for how clean the story is: high altitude, patient processing, and a producer who clearly knows what she's doing with both. Somewhere Coffee didn't need to dress it up, and they didn't try to. That's the kind of sourcing I like to see.

"I've been hearing about Somewhere Coffee for a few months now - what drew me in is how they tailor their roasting style to the bean. Many roasters we work with have a specific style of roasting they adhere to; Somewhere is focused on getting the most from each bean. Enjoy!"

- Dean, Director of Coffee