Colombia – Inza Macizo

Colombia – Inza Macizo

The Municipality of Inza in Cauca sits high on a Colombian plateau called the Macizo Colombiano. This area is perfect for growing specialty coffee as altitudes reach over 2000 masl. Inzá is mostly known for its history and coffee. Its history goes back to 1577 when a Spaniard, Sancho García de Espino, established camp where Inzá is today. In 1737 the Jesuits built a church and since that moment the whole town started growing into streets and houses; being recognized by the Colombian government as a municipality in 1907. The municipality now has around 30,000 inhabitants many of which are coffee growers working on land less than 1ha in size.

The traditional varieties in this area are Tabi, Castillo, Colombia and Caturra. This coffee comes from the Calderas indigenous reserve area where during the harvest they pick ripe cherry throughout the season with their families on the small plots of land. Once picked the coffee is then pulped and then left to ferment over night for 12 – 18 hours. The coffee is then floated and to remove immature beans and then taken to either parabolic tents or dried on roof patios. The coffee dries for 8 – 14 days weather depending.