Wilton Benitez Bundle

Spoiler alert: You're going to be seeing a lot of Wilton Benitez's coffees on our menu this year. He's one of our favorite producers and processing gurus in Colombia right now, and the processing experiments he's conducting in Cauca are a real testament to what's possible in specialty coffee today. 

For this release, we couldn't resist the opportunity to bundle two of Wilton's thermal shock lots - one "regular" Pink Bourbon lot, and a Castillo lot which also underwent EA decaffeination. Whether you're curious about new school decaffeination endeavors and want to taste one alongside a similarly processed (but fully caffeinated) coffee, OR you just like whipping up your own half-caff experiments at home, this bundle was built for you!

MEET THE PRODUCER | Wilton Benitez has over twenty-six years of experience as a coffee producer, the majority of which have been spent focusing solely on specialty coffee. However, "coffee grower" isn't exactly what Wilton thought he wanted to be when he grew up. He spent his collegiate years studying engineering and subsequently spent many years working as a trained chemical engineer before making the (huge) career leap over to coffee.

Wilton eventually opted to redirect his scientific expertise toward his lifelong passion for cultivating coffee, and nowadays he's the owner of an innovative coffee company in the Cauca region of Colombia called Granja Paraíso 92. Both the company and Wilton himself are renowned for growing unique coffee varietals and for pioneering new methods of coffee processing in the region. The farm has pioneered advanced and innovative systems which were previously unknown in Cauca and also features its very own processing plant, microbiology lab, and quality control lab.

TRUST THE PROCESS | Both coffees followed a similar thermal shock protocol at Wilton's farm in Piendamó, complete with two of just about everything: two rounds of sterilization, two rounds of fermentation, and a thorough double-rinsing with warm - and then decidedly chilly - water.

The decaffeinated Castillo lot went on to undergo a process called Ethyl Acetate Decaffeination (EAD). After initial processing was completed, Wilton's coffee was sent to an EA lab in Colombia, where a sugar alcohol byproduct is used as a solvent to help dissolve the caffeine out of the coffee.

COMPARE AND CONTRAST | To be clear, these coffees are not meant to taste the same. One is the life of the party, having underwent lengthier fermentation times - while the other one is more of a wallflower, having undergone less intense initial processing in anticipation of its eventual decaffeination journey. But they are a fascinating pair to taste together, and they're a real testament to the triumphs in processing which are happening throughout Colombia today.

Pink Bourbon | Plenty of tropical fruits (passion fruit, lychee, pineapple, tamarind) are present in the cup. Vibrant acidity and ample sweetness mingle together to give us something like lemon candy. There's some funk to this coffee that reminds us of galaxy hops, but it's not as intense or boozy as one might expect from such a process-driven endeavor.

Thermal Shock Decaf | Floral like lemongrass and reminiscent of black tea, this coffee is a truly lovely example of what's possible with decaffeination processes today. Acidity and sweetness join forces to give us something like candied grapefruit, or lemon candy. Subtle stone fruit, like apricot, round things out to lend us a delicate and delightful sipping experience that reminds us more of enjoying high tea in London than of choking down a cup of decaf after a lengthy work dinner.

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Origin | Piendamó, Cauca, Colombia

Producer | Wilton Benitez

Farm | Granja Paraíso 92

Process | Thermal Shock | Thermal Shock + EA Decaffination

Variety |  Pink Bourbon | Castillo

Elevation | 1950 masl | 1900 masl