Variety Academic Background
The Castillo variety was developed over 30 years by Cenicafé (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones de Café) and officially released in 2005. According to Cenicafé's research report (Morales et al., 2005), Castillo was bred from a cross of Caturra and Híbrido de Timor, offering high resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust. It is one of Colombia's most widely cultivated varieties, strongly promoted by FNC (Source: FNC variety promotion program documents).Castillo was historically considered lower in cup quality, but at high altitudes — such as Nariño above 1,900 m — combined with natural processing, its potential dramatically increases.
Flavor Description
Nariño is one of Colombia's highest-altitude regions, where extreme diurnal temperature variation promotes sugar accumulation. This natural Castillo delivers dried-fruit sweetness of prune, raisin, and ripe guava. The mid-palate brings warm cocoa powder, while the finish carries red-sugar and caramel sweetness. The body is significantly fuller than washed lots.Brewing Notes
- Pour-over: Medium grind, water temperature 91–93°C, ratio 1:15
- Espresso: This lot also suits espresso, expressing rich dark chocolate and dried-fruit complexity