Producer: Jhoan Vergara
Farm: Las Flores
Region: Huila
Variety: Tabi
Process: Washed Thermal Shock
Altitude: 1750 masl
Harvested: 2025
Cupping notes: Red grapes, jasmine, magnolia, raspberry, melon, hints of turkish delight. Juicy and clean.
Las Flores is one of those farms that keeps popping up whenever people talk about what “modern Colombia” looks like right now. This Tabi comes from the Vergara family in Acevedo, Huila, grown up at around 1750 masl, and it’s a perfect snapshot of a new generation taking a family farm and completely changing the trajectory.
Jhoan Vergara comes from three generations of coffee producers, and he took over Las Flores in 2018 when his father retired. He was only 24, and instead of sticking with high-volume Caturra like the farm had done for years, he went all-in on specialty varieties and quality-driven processing. It was a bold move (and apparently not one his father loved at first), but it’s paid off fast. The project became a real family operation, with different parts of the business handled across the family, and over time they expanded the farm’s variety lineup with coffees like Pink Bourbon, Java, Maracaturra, and of course Tabi.
Tabi is a variety with a cool Colombian backstory. The name means “good” in the Guambiano (Misak) language, and it was developed by Cenicafé as a hybrid of Bourbon, Typica and Timor HdT 1343, with resistance to leaf rust. But what makes it exciting here is the way Las Flores treats it. With Tabi, too much oxidation can sometimes lead to heavy “fermenty” character, so for this lot the cherries were intentionally harvested semi-ripe rather than fully ripe, keeping the process cleaner and more controlled from the very first step.
From there, the processing is detailed and very intentional. The cherries are sorted by floating, cleaned to remove impurities, then left to oxidise on tarps for 48 hours. After that they’re depulped and fermented in their mucilage for 36 hours, before the signature step: a thermal shock, where hot water (around 50°C) is added and the coffee stays submerged for a further 36 hours. The drying is slow and careful, taking around 10 days depending on the weather.
What we love about Las Flores is that the coffees clearly show the innovation and ambition happening in Huila right now, but they’re not just “process projects.” There’s structure and intention behind it, and it feels like the family is building something long-term. They even planted 18,000 new trees in 2023 at 1700–1790m, which tells you this isn’t a one-off hype moment - it’s the direction of the farm.
This is top-shelf Colombia from a producer who’s become increasingly recognised on the international stage, and we’re genuinely buzzing to have it on the list.
Transparency.
What we paid:
-Coffee: 14.50€/Kg
-Shipping: 1.25€/Kg
-Packaging, labelling and sorting: 2€
Quantity bought: 35 Kg
This is an omni roast, perfect for both filter and espresso brewing.
