New! Wilton Benitez SL-28 is Back!
Our Wilton Benitez SL-28 is back! This special coffee comes from Wilton Benitez’s competition series (the ultra special coffees he singles out for use in national and international barista competitions) and a previous lot of this coffee was recently used by Edwin Tascon to win 1st place in Colombia’s national barista competition! This single origin lot is comprised solely of the SL-28 variety and displays coveted flavors unique to that variety originating from Kenya (think fruity, berry forward and wine-like), coupled with flavors reminiscent of the terroir of Colombia which often produces ultra sweet, fruity, and floral coffees. Add to this Wilton’s unique processing style and the result is coffee magic. Every time we cup this coffee, we are blown away by its depth and complexity. This coffee is winey and elegant with notes of berry jam, freesia, pink starburst, strawberry, cherry, blueberry Italian soda, jasmine, and lychee. A must-try coffee for anyone seeking a unique and special coffee experience!
Farm Level Info. Wilton Benitez is at the forefront of innovation in coffee processing and is doing amazing things to create unique and masterful flavors. He is a chemical engineer turned high-end coffee grower and his science background, coupled with decades of experience in coffee growing/tasting, have led to some of the most unique and nuanced coffees we’ve experienced. Selectively harvested ripe cherries are first sterilized with ozonated water in a chamber that also separates the coffee cherry based on bean size and removes foreign material. The coffee is then sterilized with ultraviolet and a second separator further works to rid the lot of any unripe cherries. This particular lot then underwent a thermal shock treatment while in cherry form where it was hit first with hot water and then with cold water. During this phase there are numerous biochemical changes occuring in the coffee, impacting flavors and the next fermentation stages. Our founder Michael added that “during this stage when the coffee cools, it actually absorbs the flavors of the mucilage. This stage is unique because it doesn’t lead to over fermented flavors but instead just the clean, sugary flavors of the mucilage.” This lot of coffee was then depulped and next underwent a double anaerobic yeast fermentation in bioreactors. After this, a second thermal shock treatment took place after which the coffee seeds were gently washed, stopping the fermentation and getting the seeds ready for drying. The coffee then underwent controlled drying in ecological drying chambers until the beans reached 10.5% internal humidity.
Unparalleled quality, a human story, and sustainability – that’s our coffee philosophy.
- Unparalleled quality. We won’t buy a coffee unless we know that it will inspire you.
- A human story. Often times a producer’s story gets lost in the coffee supply chain. It’s our focus to provide a seed to cup experience, honoring everyone involved.
- Sustainability. We purchase sustainable coffees directly from producers and through brokers who share our goal of making coffee a sustainable commodity. Financially and environmentally, the coffees we purchase seek balance.
