The Farm: Finca El Recreo in Gigante

Finca El Recreo sits in the Gigante municipality of Huila — a town in the central part of the department, positioned along the upper Magdalena River valley. At 1,670 metres above sea level, the farm operates at slightly lower altitude than the high-profile farms of Pitalito and Acevedo further south, but within the band where Huila's volcanic soils, humid climate, and temperature variation create excellent conditions for Pink Bourbon specifically.

The farm spans 16 hectares in total, with 10 dedicated to coffee cultivation. The Suaza River region — which encompasses Gigante and extends south toward San Agustín — has been producing coffee for generations, and El Recreo inherits that deep agricultural tradition. The Cueva de los Guácharos National Park lies nearby, and the natural ecosystem around the farm contributes to the consistent microclimate that has allowed Darío to develop a Pink Bourbon of exceptional clarity.

The Producer: Darío Rodríguez Trujillo

Darío Rodríguez Trujillo has been working on El Recreo since 1975 — when he began as a helper on his parents' farm at an age when most coffee producers of his generation gave little thought to cup quality. The farm was producing commercial-grade coffee for cooperatives, as was almost universal in Huila at the time. Darío inherited El Recreo from his parents and continued in that direction for decades.

The turning point came seven years ago, when Darío made a deliberate and committed decision to focus on specialty coffee as a pathway to improving his family's quality of life. Drawing on his parents' accumulated agricultural knowledge and his own 40+ years of practical experience with the land, he had a foundation that younger specialty entrants rarely have. What he added was intentionality — studying the connection between farming decisions and cup profile, exploring experimental varieties, and pursuing the quality thresholds that specialty exporters and international buyers require.

"Dario comes from a family of coffee farmers and inherited the El Recreo farm from his parents. He has been working in coffee since 1975. Seven years ago, Dario decided to focus on specialty coffee as a way to improve his family's quality of life." — Good Life Coffee, Finland

The Region: Gigante and Northern Huila

Gigante sits considerably further north than the specialty coffee hub of Pitalito, which tends to receive the most international attention. Square Mile Coffee Roasters, sourcing El Recreo's Pink Bourbon through Caravela's buying stations in Huila, noted that Gigante "is a good bit north of our focal region nearer to Pitalito." The region's relative distance from the most trafficked sourcing routes has meant that excellent farmers like Darío received less international attention — until their coffee quality spoke for itself.

The altitude range in Gigante's coffee-growing areas (1,600–1,800 metres) is well-suited to Pink Bourbon, which expresses its full aromatic potential in the 1,600–1,900-metre range. The municipality's warm afternoons, cool nights, and the moisture from the Magdalena river valley contribute to cherry maturation profiles that build both sugar concentration and acid complexity.

The Variety and Process

Pink Bourbon — confirmed as an Ethiopian landrace rather than a Bourbon hybrid (see Blog #7) — thrives at El Recreo's altitude and climate. Darío grows Pink Bourbon alongside Caturra, Colombia variety, and Castillo — the conventional Colombian disease-resistant varieties that provide farm resilience, while Pink Bourbon provides the premium specialty lots that command international buyers.

1. Selective hand-harvest of Pink Bourbon cherries at peak ripeness. Bean size at El Recreo is classified as AAA — unusually large, a quality indicator associated with slow, full maturation.
2. Cherries pulped the same day they are harvested to prevent spontaneous fermentation.
3. Dry fermentation for approximately 40 hours — the coffee rests in fermentation tanks without added water, allowing naturally occurring microorganisms on the beans to break down the mucilage layer.
4. Full wash with clean water to halt fermentation and remove all remaining mucilage.
5. Drying on raised beds covered under house-type patio structures — protected from direct rain while allowing airflow. Total drying time approximately 15–20 days.

Pink Bourbon in Gigante: A Different Terroir Expression

El Recreo's Pink Bourbon washed offers a slightly different expression to the same variety grown in Pitalito or Acevedo. The slightly lower altitude (1,670 metres vs 1,730–1,800 metres at Monteblanco or El Diviso) and the northern Huila microclimate produce a fuller body and a fruit profile that leans toward darker berries — blackberry, pomegranate, plum — rather than the lighter citrus-forward character typical of higher-altitude Pink Bourbon. This makes El Recreo's lot particularly versatile: excellent as a filter coffee with a clean bright finish, and rich enough to pull beautifully as espresso.

Brew Guide