Introducing Honey Castillo

Developed by Pipe Restrepo in Villamaria, Caldas

Our latest Honey Castillo has come from the Chambaku farm in Villamaria, Caldas, run by the Restrepo family. This batch comes from Pipe Restrepo, a well-traveled coffee enthusiast, farmer, and pioneer in developing fermentation protocols that have earned him great recognition internationally and in Colombia.

Located in the Colombian coffee-growing axis, Villamaria is a region renowned for preserving different forms of traditional coffee growing. The subtropical climate in Villamaria, Caldas, provides weather conditions for high-quality coffee with a relatively short harvest period. 

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Castillo Coffee

With a tree slightly taller than a Caturra, long branches, big leaves, and large coffee beans, Castillo has allowed farmers like Pipe to produce reliable coffee, creating space for experimentation when processing the beans. Honey Castillo is a result of this. 

Photo credit: Coffeeland

Honey Processing

Honey processing differs from the washed process because the beans are left to dry without sitting in water first, and coffee cherries are not fully depulped of their mucilage. Instead, the skin is removed on harvested coffee cherries, leaving a thin layer of the mucilage on. The mucilage surrounding the coffee bean inside the fruit tends to be sticky, so it is sometimes compared to honey.

The beans are then left out to dry and ferment on a flat surface. As a result of this process, the beans absorb part of the aromatics produced by the mucilage. This creates a more interesting coffee with very pronounced tasting notes and a high Q-grade rating. In turn, farmers are paid a higher price for their high-quality coffee. 

Photo credit: Cafenaku

Honey Castillo