# Huila Reserve — Colombia — Organic Certification Sheet

## Certification status

| Claim | Status |
| --- | --- |
| USDA Organic | **Certified.** Annual audit. Certificate on request |
| Certified organic handling at the Emberlane roastery | **Yes.** Segregated roast slots and cleaned equipment |
| Fair Trade certified | **No** |
| Rainforest Alliance | **No** |
| Bird Friendly (Smithsonian) | **No** |
| Direct trade | **No.** Purchased through an importer working with the cooperative |

**Huila Reserve and Nightshift Decaf are the only two Emberlane coffees with USDA Organic
certification.** Everything else in the range is uncertified, including Lowlands Blend, First Light,
Forte Espresso, Ardent — Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Blackpine — Sumatra Gayo.

## What the certification covers

Organic certification follows the coffee through every step that can contaminate it:

1. **Farm.** No prohibited synthetic pesticides or fertilisers for at least three years before harvest.
   Audited annually by an accredited certifier.
2. **Mill and export.** Segregated processing and storage, with documented lot separation.
3. **Import and warehouse.** Certified organic handler, sealed and documented.
4. **Our roastery.** Organic lots are roasted in dedicated slots after a cleaning cycle, cooled on a
   cleaned tray, and bagged with segregated packaging. Records are kept for audit.

If any link in that chain broke, we could not print the seal — which is why we do not print it on the
other five coffees, however they were farmed.

## Why the other coffees are not certified

Certification costs money at every step and some excellent farms do not carry it. Several of our
uncertified lots come from producers using organic methods.

We will tell you that when you ask. **We will not put the word "organic" on a bag that is not certified**,
and our agent will not tell you a coffee is organic when it is not.

## Origin

| Field | Detail |
| --- | --- |
| Country | Colombia |
| Department | Huila |
| Municipality | Around Pitalito |
| Producers | A cooperative of 112 smallholders, average holding 2.1 hectares |
| Altitude | 1,650–1,900 m |
| Varietals | Caturra, Colombia, Castillo |
| Process | Fully washed, 18-hour controlled fermentation |
| Drying | Parabolic beds, 8–12 days |
| Harvest | Main crop April – June; mitaca October – November |
| Moisture | 10.8% |

## Cupping

Total score 86.0. Descriptors: red currant, panela, mandarin, brown sugar finish. Acidity malic, medium-
high. Body medium and syrupy.

## Roast profile

Charge 200 °C · first crack 9:05 · drop 10:50 · development ratio 16% · light-medium, no surface oil.
Roasted Monday and Thursday. Roast date printed on every bag; best within 4 weeks.