Heresy - Colombia Area 18 Experimental Honey Mossto Filter 252 g

Whole-bean specialty coffee from Colombia, roasted by Heresy roasting brand. Light roast, perfect for filter coffee machines, drippers, Chemex, AeroPress, French Press, and other pour-over brewing methods. The brew resembles the flavour of tropical fruits, fruit jam, wine, flowers, bilberry and citus fruits.

Origin: Colombia

Region: Cauca

Farm: Santa Barbara

Processing: Experimental Honey, Mossto

Altitude: 1850 m a.s.l.

Cupping score: 87 / 100 

ABOUT THE FARM AND COFFEE PRODUCER

We are dealing here with a boutique, experimental farm that we visited in August 2025. It belongs to Banexport—a company that handles almost everything across the entire local chain: production, export, collaboration with smaller producers from the Cauca region, as well as innovations and modern technologies in coffee production and processing.

A full range of the most prized botanical Arabica varieties (Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Java, Wush-Wush, or Laurina) is grown here on 14 hectares, most of which constitute a natural nature reserve with designated ecological trails. Many endemic plant and animal species make up an incredibly diverse ecosystem here.

Employees at Santa Barbara can count on stable employment all year round, not just during the season. Everything is handled formally, with a social package, insurance, and a pay rate significantly higher and fairer in the context of the conditions that typically still prevail in Arabica-producing countries.Interestingly, the farm does not have its own washing station, and the entire process—from fermentation to drying—takes place in the heart of the city of Popayan, the capital of the Cauca region.

ABOUT COFFEE PROCESSING AT THE FARM

Castillo variety, hand-picked, transported in a refrigerated truck immediately after harvest to the Area 18 station in the center of Popayan. A one-kilogram sample is taken for preliminary analysis; once data such as sugar concentration and density are obtained, the decision regarding the final process is made.The cherries are cleaned and sorted, then undergo depulping (separating the seed from the fruit) while retaining the mucilage layer, and are placed in a bioreactor. This allows for full control of the fermentation process and manipulation of variables such as temperature, pH, pressure, and oxygen saturation.

Additional must—a mixture of water and pulp rich in microorganisms—works for the first 18 hours and promotes yeast multiplication. These yeasts then dominate for the next 36 hours of fermentation, shaping the aromatic profile. After a total of 54 hours, the coffee moves to the drying stage.Drying is performed mechanically in an advanced laboratory machine, which removes water from the beans to a precisely programmed value in a controlled, uniform, and repeatable process.

ROASTER'S OPINION

One of those coffees where funk and complexity go hand in hand. Plenty of fruity layers, but also winey flavors from the fermentation. Lots of floral notes, sweet as hell. The quintessence of what we want to do here.