Venezuela, Finca Los Nogales

Venezuela

This vibrant microlot from Finca Los Nogales offers a rich and flavorful cup with notes of cooked grape, smooth chocolate, and caramelized molasses, complemented by a tart acidity and a fruitlike sweetness. Grown at 1,900 MASL in Venezuela’s lush Táchira State, this coffee reflects both the natural bounty of the Andes and the passion of a new generation of producers. Ronald Buitrago, a lifelong farmer who only began cultivating coffee in 2021, has brought fresh energy to the farm his family founded in 1945. With roots in fruit farming, Ronald transitioned to coffee in hopes of building a sustainable future for his family and community—dreaming of a day when the world knows both their coffee and their story.

Finca Los Nogales is surrounded by springs, wildlife, and towering Araguaney trees that help create an ideal microclimate for specialty coffee. The farm’s honey-processed Castillo variety undergoes anaerobic fermentation, a method that amplifies the coffee’s fruit character, body, and brightness. What makes this cup even more special is its origin—Venezuela, a country with a storied coffee past and a rapidly reawakening specialty scene. Táchira, once a thriving coffee powerhouse, is now home to a new wave of producers like Ronald who are determined to put Venezuelan coffee back on the map. With support from organizations like Café Imports and growing global interest, coffees like this are not just delicious—they’re part of a comeback story worth savoring.