ROASTER'S CHOICE
THIS MONTH'S COFFEE IS...
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The Headlines
Roaster's Choice #5
- Origin: Piendamo, Cauca, Colombia
- Producer: Wilton Benitez
- Process: Experimental Washed
- Varietal: Castillo
- Altitude: 1750-2100
- Notes: Haribo Gummies, Milk Chocolate, Guava
- Cup Score: 86.0
The Lot
WBP-00
WBP-00 is the result of an unusually controlled approach to coffee processing. After harvest, the cherries are sorted by density and size before being sterilised with UV light and ozone. A carefully selected yeast culture is then introduced during a 48-hour fermentation, allowing specific flavour compounds to develop while minimising unwanted fermentation characteristics. Following pulping, the coffee is washed and dried under tightly controlled conditions. These additional processing steps help create a cup with pronounced fruit notes, high sweetness, and a level of flavour consistency that is difficult to achieve through conventional fermentation methods.
The Producers
Wilton Benitez - Finca El Paraiso-92
Finca El Paraíso-92 has become one of Colombia’s most closely watched coffee farms through its combination of agricultural expertise, scientific research, and highly skilled farm staff. While Wilton Benitez is widely recognised for developing innovative processing methods, the quality of the farm’s coffees depends on the work of a larger team involved in cultivation, harvesting, quality control, microbiology, and processing. Cherries are carefully selected and sorted before undergoing fermentation programmes developed in the farm’s own laboratories, where staff monitor variables such as temperature, pH, and microbial activity. This collaborative approach allows the farm to produce coffees with exceptional consistency while continuing to experiment with new varieties and processing techniques.
What is it?
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES
WB-00 is part of a growing category of coffees that explore fermentation as a tool for flavour development rather than simply a step in removing fruit from the seed. In this lot, the aim is not to create wild or overpowering characteristics, but to influence the formation of aromatic compounds in a precise and repeatable way. By managing the microbial environment and carefully controlling processing conditions, the team can encourage flavours that might otherwise appear only faintly or inconsistently.
This approach challenges the traditional view that a coffee’s flavour is determined primarily by variety, altitude, and origin. Instead, WB-00 demonstrates how post-harvest processing can become an equally important contributor to the final cup.