Bet-el, Colombia

Bet-el means “House of God, gateway to heaven.” César Ledesma seeks to innovate his specialty coffees to offer the highest quality product to coffee lovers around the world.

In the Western Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, located in the municipality of Calima Darién, Remolinos village, at approximately 1,600 meters above sea level, they enjoy an invaluable agro-ecological zone, with volcanic soils, constant rains and breezes from the Pacific Ocean currents that enter the Rio Grande canyon and rise west towards the Calima Lake dam, giving unique characteristics to their coffee crops.

They control every stage of the process to ensure a high-quality product, monitoring and controlling every variable that affects the coffee's cup profile. The family's hard work and commitment have earned them awards that inspire them to continue revolutionizing the history of Colombian specialty coffees.

It all begins with the selection of the ripest cherries, harvesting every 7-15 days depending on the season and rainfall (with more rainfall, the harvest frequency increases). The cherries are taken to the wet processing plant, where a second flotation process is carried out, removing excess organic matter such as leaves, branches, and dried cherries.

Afterwards, they are taken to the table for a third sorting, where green, unripe, and overripe cherries are removed. They are then transferred to the tanks to begin the fermentation process.

Two fermentations are carried out in tanks with a degassing valve. The first fermentation takes place for 48 hours in cherries with lactic acid inoculum. Once this is complete, the pulp is removed and a second fermentation begins for 36 hours in the same tank, adding water plus leachate from the previous fermentation, bringing the water level to the level of the coffee mass.

At the end of the process, the cherries are taken to a solar drying area to reduce humidity and eliminate excess water. This drying process takes 6-24 hours and depends on the time of year and the amount of sunlight available. The batches are then transferred to the drying equipment, which runs on electricity and performs convection drying cycles, controlling the temperature to a maximum of 39°C.

Bet-el, which in Hebrew means "House of God," is César Ledesma's micro-lot of semi-washed Pink Bourbon, conceived in the Western Cordillera of the Colombian Andes, in the Remolinos area of the municipality of Calima Darien. Irresistible
Grown at about 1,600 meters above sea level on volcanic soils, it receives constant breezes from the Pacific that provide freshness and a unique microclimate.

In the cup, it dazzles with juicy cherry and strawberry acidity, rounded off by subtle vanilla and white chocolate notes, and an exceptionally clean, medium-bodied palate that leaves the palate ready for another sip. The double fermentation—an anaerobic fermentation in the fruit and a second fermentation after pulping—enhances its juicy and balanced profile, turning each cup into a sensorial adventure.

Filter or Espresso...you decide!