Colombia — Elias & Shady Bayter El Vergel Estate Caturra & Colombia (Watermelon Infused Honey / SWP Decaf)

Tastes Like — 🍉 Pink Gatorade • 🥝 Kiwi • 🍹 Mojito

DETAILS

• Producer: Elias & Shady Bayter
• Farm: El Vergel Estate
• Region: Tolima, Colombia
• Varietal: Caturra & Colombia
• Process: Watermelon Infused Honey / Swiss Water Process Decaffeinated
• Altitude: 1,750 MASL
• Rest: 2–3 weeks from roast

INTRO

A decaf that refuses to behave like one — El Vergel Estate's watermelon-infused honey process Caturra and Colombia, decaffeinated through the Swiss Water Process to retain maximum cup character. Vivid, playful, and refreshing from first sip to last. In the cup: pink Gatorade, kiwi, and mojito — a profile as unexpected as it is entirely compelling.

THE PRODUCER

El Vergel Estate is a family farm in Tolima, Colombia, led by Elias and Shady Bayter — a brother and sister partnership who have built one of the most innovative and internationally celebrated processing programmes in Colombian specialty coffee. The estate is perhaps best known for its experimental co-fermentation and infusion protocols, which consistently produce some of the most distinctive and conversation-starting lots on the market. Their commitment to processing innovation is matched by an equally serious commitment to farm management and sustainability — El Vergel has become a reference point for what is possible in Colombian specialty coffee when exceptional terroir meets genuine experimental curiosity.

THE PROCESS

The Watermelon Infused Honey / SWP Decaf process involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Caturra and Colombia cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed while the full mucilage layer is retained on the bean 🍉 Watermelon infusion — Watermelon introduced during the honey processing stage, allowing the fruit's aromatic compounds to interact directly with the mucilage-covered beans throughout fermentation ☀️ Honey drying — Dried with mucilage and watermelon infusion intact, integrating the fruit character fully into the bean 🌿 Swiss Water Process decaffeination — Caffeine removed post-processing using the Swiss Water Process — a chemical-free method that uses water and activated carbon filters to remove caffeine while preserving the coffee's aromatic complexity and flavour compounds

The watermelon infusion during honey processing is the defining step — by introducing watermelon to the mucilage-covered beans before and during drying, the Bayters allow the fruit's vivid, refreshing character to integrate directly into the bean through the permeable mucilage layer, producing the pink Gatorade and kiwi brightness and mojito freshness that define this lot. The Swiss Water Process then removes the caffeine while leaving those hard-won flavour compounds largely intact.

THE CUP

A vivid, playful, and utterly unexpected decaf from one of Tolima's most innovative family farms — pink Gatorade brightness, kiwi freshness, and a mojito-like herbal citrus lift in a cup that makes no concessions to its decaf status. El Vergel Estate doing what El Vergel Estate does best.

Flavour Notes

🍉 Pink Gatorade 🥝 Kiwi 🍹 Mojito