Located in the central north part of Colombia, the department of Santander is thought to be the birthplace of coffee in Colombia. The region is well known for its dense forests and rich volcanic soil in near perfect micro-climate of 68-71°F allowing for great conditions for natural, shade-grown coffees. The mountainous plantation area results in difficult access to the coffee plants and a lot of hard work for the harvesters to get the much sought after coffee. The varieties found in this region are mostly Castillo and Colombia. In this region most of the producers are smallholders, who produce high quality coffee through passionate work. The coffees are known for their medium and balanced body, cleanness and aroma notes of chocolate and tobacco.