Cup: Forest Fruit, Gooseberry, Elderflower, Honey, Peach, Rose, Jasmine
Origin: El Tambo, Cauca, Colombia
Farmer: Diego Samuel Bermudez
Varietal: Castillo
Process: Washed extended fermentation
Altitude: 1,700–1,900 MASL
Green buyer: Falcon

Brewing: Great for filter coffee brewing but also espresso! On espresso it's quite intense and syrupy with a high acidity but it's not overwhelming. As filter we prefer it black, and brewed as espresso we enjoy it as an espresso, long black, or flat white.

About

Diego Bermudez is a name that has become well known in Colombia and the wider speciality coffee industry, and for good reason.

Diego Samuel who was born in Bolivar, Cauca has dedicated the last 13 years of his life to growing coffee and also to gaining a deep understanding and knowledge on the processing and production of high-end specialty coffee that is almost unparalleled in the unique flavour and profiles produced.

The Villa Esperanza - Paraiso farm in El Tambo, Cauca covers 27 ha of land and is planted with Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, Pink Bourbon and Geisha. As part of a tight knit family Diego works on their farm in Cauca with his wife, two daughters and two brothers. Together they continue to learn and strive to achieve the next level with their processing. They built their own lab on the farm which helps them understand how cup profiles can be guided depending on factors like microorganisms, ph and temperature. These experiments have allowed Villa Esperanza to be at the vanguard of coffee processing, and netted Diego and his family many awards since 2015.

This coffee is a washed Castillo that's undergone several controlled fermentations. It's a very expressive coffee, both on the nose and the palate, and it reminds us of gooseberry and elderflower.

Process Description:

It all starts with carefully picking coffee cherries when they’re perfectly ripe. After harvest, the cherries are cleaned using ozone and then moved into fermentation tanks, where they sit underwater for 72 hours in an oxygen-free environment.

After that, the cherries are pulped and the sticky layer (called mucilage) is removed. That leftover pulp and mucilage isn’t wasted—it’s sent to a small processing plant where specific microorganisms are grown. These microbes help create a special culture full of aroma and flavor precursors. This culture is added back into the tanks for another 36 hours, giving the coffee beans time to absorb all those rich flavors under pressure.

Next, the beans go through a thermal shock wash, which helps lock in those flavor compounds and gets them ready for drying.

Drying is done slowly and carefully using a dehumidifier. This gentle approach protects the beans’ delicate flavors, keeps them from oxidizing too much, and stops any extra fermentation. Once dry, the beans are stabilized, stored in a cool place, and later sorted and hulled to meet quality standards.