This past January, Jim and I were lucky enough to embark on a the trip of a lifetime - deep into the lush, shaded coffee region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in COLOMBIA! A

I have been fortunate to travel to many coffee origins in my many years. Each time, I do my best to come back with photographs that will tell the story. But I know that “the pictures just don’t do it justice.”

Jim and Farmers standing among pruned shade trees[/caption] A few months ago, we posted about Jim's trip to Guatemala in June, focusing the content on the school and library we support there. 

Our latest 'lot' of Colombian has arrived from a group of farms called Kachalu, where we have been sourcing fine coffee from for many years.

For over ten years now, Jim's Organic Coffee has been supporting a school in Tzanchaj, Atitlan, Guatemala- the same location where our Guatemalan coffee comes from. 

Back in mid-December, we cupped a pre-shipment sample of Sumatra and were blown away -completely clean with syrup, toffee and milk chocolate notes and a touch of lemongrass (which really threw it over the top!) So seeing a January lull in my busy schedule, I inquired about a visit to the Takengon area of Sumatra (where we have been buying coffee for almost 20 years).