Colombia Paraíso 92 Yellow Bourbon P-21

Producer: Wilton Benitez
Farm: Granja Paraíso 92
Region: Piendamó, Cauca, Colombia
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Process: Washed with Thermal Shock
Altitude: 1,900–2,100 masl 
Tasting Notes: Rose water, red grape, vanilla, milk chocolate, hibiscus 
Importer: Macarena

About the Producer

Wilton Benitez has spent more than 26 years growing coffee, over 20 of them focused on specialty production. He's also a trained roaster and Q-grader, which means he tastes and evaluates his own coffee at every stage rather than handing that judgment off to someone further down the chain. That's rare, and it shows in how deliberately Granja Paraíso 92 is run.

The farm is a family operation in Piendamó, Cauca, close enough to the equator to give it steady sunlight year-round, and set high enough (1,900 to 2,100 masl) that the cherries mature slowly and develop real complexity. Benitez has built out the farm with terracing, drip irrigation, and shade systems, and he tests soil nutrition in a lab rather than guessing. He even builds his own processing equipment, including fermentation tanks and drying machines, and runs an on-site facility with microbiology and quality labs to keep close control over every lot.

This particular lot, P-21, is a Yellow Bourbon processed washed with thermal shock. Before fermentation begins, the fruit is sterilized with ultraviolet light, a step meant to give the fermentation a cleaner, more controlled starting point. It then ferments in tanks for 96 hours before drying at a constant 38°C. It's a slow, exacting process, and the cup shows it: red grape and hibiscus up front, vanilla and milk chocolate underneath.

Benitez also runs his drying and fermentation systems to use less fossil fuel and recycle water where he can, which lines up with the same lab-driven, hands-on approach he brings to everything else on the farm.

About Macarena

This lot was brought in through Macarena, a specialty green coffee importer based in Montreal and run by David, Santiago, and Camilo, three friends from Colombia. They work directly with growers like Wilton Benitez to bring lots like this one from Granja Paraíso 92 north into Canada and the rest of North America.