Colombia - Even Kiel

Soft & sweet, creamy with orange & nougat — all the tasting notes are there, but none of the interpretive dance. The Even Kiel is our premium every-day “on leash” coffee. Predictable in the best possible way. Like a dog that actually comes back when you call it.

This lot comes from 10 small producers in La Plata, Huila, high in Colombia’s volcanic hills (1,900–2,100m) where the farms are tiny, the roads are questionable, and the coffee is excellent. Mostly old Caturra trees, carefully picked, delivered in small batches, and fussed over by the Pillimué family before heading to Pergamino Coffee in Medellín.

There, they cup hundreds of micro-lots and stitch together a regional blend that tastes intentional rather than accidental. Farmers get paid on delivery, then again when quality premiums land — which, refreshingly, is how this should work.

We visited Pergamino on the ground ten years ago and left thinking: “ah good, adults are in charge.”

Thanks (and photo credit) to Melbourne Coffee Merchants for connecting the dots and writing the long version so we didn’t have to.

Dependable. Delicious. Zero main-character energy.