Colombia — Bayter Family El Vergel Estate Caturra & Colombia (Co-Ferment — Swiss Water Decaf)

Tastes Like — 🍉 Watermelon • 🍬 Powdery Candy • 🍯 Honeycomb Caramel

DETAILS

Producer: Bayter Family
Farm: El Vergel Estate
Region: Tolima, Colombia
Varietal: Caturra & Colombia
Process: Co-Ferment Natural — Swiss Water Decaffeinated
Altitude: 1,550 MASL
Harvest: June

INTRO

El Vergel Estate has become one of Colombia's most compelling addresses for experimental processing — and this watermelon co-ferment, presented as a Swiss Water Decaf, is among its most striking and accessible expressions. The result is a candy-forward, fruit-forward cup with none of the fermented funk and none of the caffeine: watermelon sweetness, powdery candy brightness, and a rich honeycomb caramel finish.

THE PRODUCER

El Vergel Estate sits in the rolling hills of Tolima, Colombia, and represents a generational shift in how Colombian coffee can be grown, processed, and understood. Originally established as an avocado farm, the Bayter family began transitioning to coffee in the early 2000s, starting with Red and Yellow Caturra before expanding into increasingly experimental territory. Today, El Vergel is defined by its rigorous and intentional approach to post-harvest processing — not experimentation for its own sake, but carefully controlled fermentation designed to amplify the inherent qualities of each variety rather than mask them.

The estate's work with inoculated and co-fermentation techniques has placed it at the forefront of a broader movement reshaping Colombian specialty coffee, producing lots that are expressive and dynamic whilst retaining the clarity and structure that distinguish thoughtful processing from mere novelty.

THE PROCESS

The Co-Ferment Natural and Swiss Water Decaf process at El Vergel involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe Caturra and Colombia cherries selected at peak maturity 🛍️ Anaerobic pre-fermentation — Whole cherries fermented in sealed plastic bags under anaerobic conditions for 48 hours 🍉 Co-fermentation with watermelon — Depulped coffee, still in mucilage, fermented for five days with dried and ground watermelon, with fresh watermelon also introduced during fermentation ☀️ Patio pre-drying — Seeds pre-dried on sun-exposed patios 🌡️ Mechanical drying — Finished in static silos ⏳ Stabilisation — A 30-day rest period to allow flavours to fully integrate and develop 💧 Swiss Water Decaffeination — Green coffee passed through the Swiss Water Process to remove caffeine whilst preserving the developed flavour compounds

The defining step is the five-day watermelon co-fermentation — by introducing both dried and fresh watermelon into the fermentation environment, the seeds absorb the fruit's refreshing sweetness in a highly controlled way, producing a candy-forward profile of notable clarity. The Swiss Water Process then removes caffeine without stripping the expressive character that the co-fermentation built.

THE CUP

A rare and beautifully constructed decaf — El Vergel's watermelon co-ferment proves that experimental processing and decaffeination need not be in tension. The candy-forward sweetness is vivid and clean, the watermelon character refreshing rather than overpowering, and the honeycomb caramel finish long and satisfying. A coffee designed to be enjoyed at any hour, by anyone.

Flavour Notes

🍉 Watermelon 🍬 Powdery Candy 🍯 Honeycomb Caramel