Diego Samuel Bermudez

Key Coffee Info:

Origin: El Tambo, Cuca

Farm: El Parasio

Process: Extended Fermentation Washed

Variety: Castillo

Importer: Falcon

Harvest: 2024

Per-Kilogram green price: £20.50

Amount purchased: 24kg

Producer Info:

Diego Samuel has dedicated the last 13 years of his life to growing coffee. He has a deep understanding of the processing and production of high-end specialty coffee that is almost unparalleled in the unique flavour and profiles produced. His Villa Esperanza-Paraiso farm in El Tambo, Cauca covers 27ha of land and is planted with castillo, colombia, caturra, pink bourbon and geisha. From selection to meticulous drying, Diego has mitigated the challenges of a changeable climate and produced coffees of a very high standard.

Diego works on their farm in Cauca together with his close-knit family. They have built their own lab on the farm to learn about cupping and roasting. This enabled them to begin experimenting to create their own fermentation protocols. His novel approach to coffee has led to Diego winning several awards from 2015 onwards. As well as being an accomplished cupper, he has also achieved the CQI level 2 processing course qualification.

These lots are castillo or caturra, disproving myths that question the quality this varietal can produce. When the treatment of the coffee cherry is taken to such lengths, it is possible to draw out tremendous potential.

Process:

The KO1 Process begins with the careful harvesting of the coffee cherries at optimum ripeness. They are then disinfected with ozone, and transferred to the fermentation tanks, in which an anaerobic fermentation occurs for 12 hours, submerged in water with saccharomyces cerevisiae culture medium. Then the coffee is pulped, and cardamom seeds with yeasts are added to produce the characteristic flavours of the profile. Then a thermal shock wash is carried out to fix a greater amount of precursors and seal the coffee for drying. It is then dried in a dehumidifier, preserving the soft notes of the coffee, avoiding the over-oxidation and stopping metabolic processes to avoid overfermentation.