Brew Guide: Colombia El Nevado del Huila

By Ted Dobek

El Nevado del Huila is one of those coffees that earns its place in our cafe. It's clean, sweet, and approachable in a way that holds up across a variety of drinkers. Sourced from smallholder farmers in Santa Maria and Pitalito, this is a communal lot built on consistency, and it shows in the cup.

A note on this recipe: these numbers are dialed in on our setup at the shop. Your brewer, grind, and water will affect the result, so treat this as a strong starting point, not a fixed target.

Coffee

Name: Colombia El Nevado del Huila
Origin: Santa Maria and Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Producer: Small farmers
Elevation: 1,600 to 1,900 masl
Variety: Caturra, Colombia, and Castillo
Process: Washed

What Dialed In Tastes Like

When it's right, you're looking for tangerine brightness up front, a sugar cane sweetness through the middle, and almond nougat in the finish. Clean and balanced, nothing sharp or harsh.

Common Misses

Grinding too fine is the biggest one. It tones down the sweetness fast and pushes the cup toward a flatter, more muted profile. If the tangerine and sugar cane aren't coming through, go coarser before you change anything else.

Filed under: Brewing