Is it Milky Cake Enough? | Colombia

Colombia — Diego Samuel Bermúdez, Finca El Paraíso Castillo (Advanced & Controlled Fermentation)

Tastes Like — 🫚 Cardamom • 🍰 Vanilla Cake • 🍊 Orange • 🍯 Honey

DETAILS

• Producer: Diego Samuel Bermúdez
• Farm: Finca El Paraíso
• Region: Cauca, Colombia
• Varietal: Castillo
• Process: Advanced & Controlled Fermentation
• Altitude: 1730 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Harvest to harvest, small shifts are expected. Coffee is an agricultural product and no two seasons are identical. With Milky Cake, DAK holds the variation to a tighter range because the profile is specific — and people return to it for exactly that reason. This lot sits slightly outside that range. The core is there: creamy body, vanilla, cardamom. But the acidity is more present than usual, and there's a fruitiness running through it that previous batches didn't have. A little less spice, more brightness. It's Milky Cake.

DAK's team was divided on whether this batch sits close enough to the signature profile or whether the shift is noticeable enough to matter. Some taste the same coffee they've always known. Others pick up on the extra acidity and miss the intense spiciness. They decided to release it and let you weigh in. Nonetheless, it tastes delicious. This lot costs more than previous years — the producer raised the price significantly, and DAK chose to keep buying it.

THE PRODUCER

Diego Samuel Bermúdez was born in Bolívar, in the Cauca region, where he, his wife, two daughters, and two brothers have been cultivating coffee for more than thirteen years. During that time he has built deep knowledge across cultivation, harvesting, and processing — and is regarded as one of Colombia's most innovative producers.

Diego's farm, Finca El Paraíso, spans approximately 27 hectares of fertile land at 1730 MASL. They grow four varieties: Castillo, Colombia, Caturra, and Geisha. Several years ago, Diego built a laboratory on the farm where the team roasts and cup-tests their own coffee as part of a rigorous quality control process.

His willingness to experiment has earned him numerous awards on the world stage since 2015. The Milky Cake profile was developed in close collaboration with DAK and sourcing partner Cata Export, who are dedicated to finding and exporting the finest lots Colombia has to offer.

THE PROCESS

The Advanced & Controlled Fermentation process at Finca El Paraíso involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Ripe Castillo cherries are hand-picked at peak maturity.
• 🧪 Anaerobic Fermentation — Cherries undergo anaerobic fermentation for 48 hours at a controlled temperature of 20°C.
• 💧 Thermal Shock Wash — The fermented coffee is subjected to a thermal shock wash, an abrupt temperature change that arrests fermentation and locks in the developed flavour compounds.
• 🌡️ Controlled Drying — Beans are dried for 34 hours at 35°C with a relative humidity of 25%, until a grain moisture content of 10–11% is reached.
• ✅ Quality Control — Each lot is cup-tested in the on-farm laboratory before release.

This highly precise process is what produces the distinctive spiced, milky, confectionery-like character that has made this coffee one of DAK's most recognisable offerings.

THE CUP

This harvest of Is it Milky Cake Enough? delivers the signature creamy body and warmly spiced profile that has made the Milky Cake series so well loved. This particular lot shows heightened brightness and a new layer of orange-tinged fruitiness alongside the classic vanilla and cardamom backbone — familiar, yet with something extra to discover.

Flavour Notes

• 🫚 Cardamom
• 🍰 Vanilla Cake
• 🍊 Orange
• 🍯 Honey