In the heart of the Andean Chocó, one of the 7 biodiversity “hot spots” of the planet, the Las Tolas plantation is the realization of a project built with passion and in the search for excellence. Located on the Andean foothills at an altitude of 1700m, the plantation has been managed since 2004 by Arnaud Causse. He planted coffee trees outside the traditional production areas, the land of which enjoys a unique environment. Grown on deep soil whose composition has been enriched by volcanic eruptions, several varieties of coffee trees are present: A 6 hectare plot made up of Pacamara and Bourbon. A 4 hectare plot planted only with Bourbon. A 12 hectare plot made up of a blend of varieties of coffee trees such as Caturra, Catuai, Galapagos, Kenya, Java. Under the shade of the trade winds, banana trees and mango trees, the cherries ripen slowly and in the best conditions in order to sublimate the aromatic potential after roasting. The plantation also provides habitat for a large number of animals. Each year, at harvest time, the inhabitants near the plantation come to pick the most beautiful cherries with the greatest care. The cherries are then placed in water baths to extract the coffee beans. After this first step, the “parchment” coffees are immersed in water to ensure fermentation. After fermentation, the parches are dried naturally, that is to say under the sun of the day. This step also preserves the maintenance of the aromatic quality. What is specialty coffee? Specialty coffee is a top-of-the-range coffee known as “rare”, with unique characteristics in the world. It is cultivated in the highest altitudes of the world, in family plantations whose objective is the superior quality, signed by a manual harvest in order to guarantee the perfection of the grain. The terroir coffees are carefully sourced for the care taken by the producer, a superior manual and selective harvest, full traceability, a cultivation method and a respected and controlled treatment process.  What is the Score? The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) defines a high standard coffee analysis procedure to assess all the specifics of specialty coffee. SCA determines the value of odor, aroma, body, acidity, possible defects. A coffee is rated on a scale of 100, and must obtain a minimum score of 80 points to be able to be determined as "specialty coffee". Specialty coffee score classes Ø   80+: very good coffees Ø   85+: The excellence of the specialty Ø    88+: The Grand Cru, the Rare