We’re getting loads of sweetness from this Wilton Benitez Decaf with mild acidity and notes of tangerine, fruit pastels and nougat. You really wouldn’t know that it is decaf...
We’re getting loads of sweetness from this Wilton Benitez Decaf with mild acidity and notes of tangerine, fruit pastels and nougat. You really wouldn’t know that it is decaf! This level of complexity is largely due to the “advanced process” techniques he implements which involves the addition of microorganisms at the fermentation stage and then soaking in hot then cold water to help to lock in more fruit notes. After this, coffee is sugar cane decaffeinated using ethyl acetate (a natural extract from sugar cane).
Wilton Benitez has become somewhat of a superstar in specialty coffee recently thanks to the amazing flavour profiles that he can create with his scientific approach to processing and cultivation. Like many coffee farmers in Colombia, he grew up on his family farm, in Piendamo in the south of Colombia. After growing up around coffee farming, Wilton then went on to higher education and became a chemical engineer, which has surely influenced his scientific approach to coffee producing!
Now heading up the family estate, Wilton has 3 coffee farms, Granja Paraiso 92, Las Brisas and La Macarena where this Sidra lot is produced. They produce over a dozen different varieties and have some of the most advanced processing techniques in the world, all matched to specific varieties to produce certain flavour profiles.
The Castillo Variety produces relatively high yields and was developed to be resistant to rust disease (La Roya), and epidemic that had devastating effects back in 2012. Castillo is known for its smooth body and citric acidity with similar qualities to Typica, Caturra and Bourbon.
Wilton Benitez started to learn the fermentation technology used in various industries including wine, beer and cheese. Once he had an understanding of how these products were processed, he started controlling certain variables in the processing of coffee, including the sugar content, PH level and fermentation duration.
There are three main factors that provide his coffee with a unique and exquisite taste: the fermentation process, the microorganisms used at each stage and the method of soaking the beans in hot and then cold water to seal the grain.
WILTON BENITZ DECAF PROCESS:
1. Manual harvest.
2. Characterisation of the cherry.
3. Classification of the cherry by density and size.
4. Sterilisation of the cherry (with UV and Ozone).
5. Cherry fermentation for 48 hours.
6. During cherry fermentation, addition of specific yeast(Saccharomyces pastorianus) to enhance fruity notes.
7. Drying of the grain with controlled equipment for 88 hours at 40oC.
8. Parchment removal.
9. The green coffee is immersed in ethyl acetate which is extracted from sugar cane.
10. After the ethyl acetate removes the caffeine, the coffee is dehydrated again until it reaches 10% moisture content..