Colombia | La Virgen | Caturra / Castillo Washed

$62.00

In stock

Roast Date Upcoming Roast

Size 1000g 160g

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Roast Date	1000g	160g
Upcoming Roast

Roasting on …

Your entire order will ship together once your coffee is roasted.

Pickup availability

80 Somersby Falls RD, Somersby NSW

Pickup unavailable today. Ready after next roast date.

This coffee’s roasted in our espresso style — but that doesn’t mean you need to brew it as espresso. You can make it however you like — espresso, filter, moka pot, AeroPress or whatever you enjoy. We roast it a touch darker than we would a filter roast to caramelise the sugars and bring out smooth chocolatey and nutty flavours that cut beautifully through milk.

When you add milk the natural sweetness, fat and proteins tend to soften acidity and highlight caramelised flavours. That’s why lighter filter roasts can sometimes taste a bit sharp or sour with milk — they’re simply not built for it. Espresso roasts being more developed balance this out. The deeper caramelisation creates toffee and cocoa notes that blend harmoniously with milk’s creaminess while a hint of gentle bitterness adds that satisfying ‘coffee punch’ in your flat white or cappuccino.

If you prefer your coffee black this roast will still give you a full-bodied rich cup with plenty of depth and sweetness. For a lighter fruitier experience you might enjoy exploring our filter range instead.

Origin and Sourcing

Varietal: Castillo, Caturra

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Castillo is a Colombian-developed hybrid, designed for rust resistance and high yield. It includes genetics from Caturra and Timor Hybrid. While early versions were criticized for mediocre cup quality, modern strains can be quite good, with fruit-forward and balanced flavors, especially when grown at high altitudes.

Caturra is a dwarf mutation of Bourbon discovered in Brazil in the early 20th century. Its compact size allows for higher planting density and easier harvesting, making it a farmer-friendly choice. It retains much of Bourbon’s flavor characteristics but can be slightly less complex. It is commonly grown in Colombia and Central America.

Processing Method: Washed

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In the washed process, coffee cherries are depulped to remove the skin and pulp, then fermented to eliminate the mucilage before thorough washing. This method produces a clean, bright cup with pronounced acidity and clarity, highlighting the coffee’s intrinsic flavors. It’s widely used in regions with ample water resources, such as Colombia and East Africa.

Farm: La Virgen

Region / Area: Huila

Altitude: 1400–2000 MASL

Harvest Period: May

Sourcing Partner: Caravella

Roast Details

Roast Style: Espresso

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Filter roasts are lighter with a shorter development time, designed to highlight clarity, acidity, and fruit-driven complexity — perfect for black coffee and filter methods. These roasts can also be used for espresso, especially if you enjoy brighter, more vibrant shots. Try longer brew ratios or turbo shots to tame acidity and bring out sweetness. Espresso roasts, on the other hand, are developed further to encourage deeper caramelization and Maillard reactions, producing richer, chocolatey, and nutty flavours that shine in milk and offer a fuller-bodied espresso. We don't usually roast omni (one roast for all brew methods) — in our experience, it tends to be a compromise that's average at both. But occasionally, for larger lots or versatile blends, we may do an omni roast to suit both black and milk drinkers.

Roast Level: Light

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This is a more accurate reflection of the actual roast level rather than internal & external colour readings and is based off roasting weight loss %. <11% is Nordic ultra-light; 11–13% is Light with balanced acidity and sweetness; 14–16% is Medium for rounded body and caramel; 16–20% is Dark for rich, chocolatey intensity; 20%+ is Starbucks/Italian for bold, smoky depth. Some would say the higher the %, the 'stronger' the coffee.

Roasting Weight Loss: 13.0%

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Coffee roasting weight loss refers to the significant reduction in the mass of green coffee beans during the roasting process, typically ranging from 9% to 25% depending on the roast level. This phenomenon primarily occurs due to the evaporation of moisture, which constitutes about 9–13% of the bean's initial weight.

External Agtron: 64

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This refers to the surface colour of the whole roasted bean, but it's not always a reliable indicator of roast level. Some of our most vibrant and lightly roasted coffees, like our Ecuadorian Sidra, may appear medium-dark (Agtron 50–60) due to their surface colour, yet are in fact light roasts with minimal development time. Surface colour can be affected by the original green colour, bean type, density, and moisture — so don't judge a bean by its exterior.

Roasted On Machine: Roest L100 Ultra

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The ROEST L100 Ultra is the most advanced sample roaster in its class, combining the precision of the L100 Plus with next-generation hardware upgrades and new airflow technology. A redesigned, fully perforated drum with reversible rotation introduces a counterflow mode that channels air directly through the bean mass—allowing faster, more efficient heat transfer and enabling lighter roasts or second crack in under 90 seconds. With upgraded 5 GHz Wi-Fi, a faster processor, built-in pressure sensor, and refreshed UI matching the P3000, the Ultra offers better batch consistency (even at 50g), improved airflow calibration, and lower energy consumption. It’s a serious tool for roasters wanting unmatched control, speed, and repeatability—while still fitting neatly on the benchtop.

Taste Profile

Tasting Notes: Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Toasted Almond, Red Apple

Suitable with Milk? Yes

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Some of our light roasted filter coffees are bursting with bright, fruity acidity — think citrus, berries, or tropical notes. While these flavours shine on their own, they don't always play well with milk. The acidity can clash with milk's natural sweetness and creaminess, sometimes creating sour or chalky flavours.

Decaffeinated? No

Import into Beanconqueror

Colombia | La Virgen | Caturra / Castillo Washed - When is peak flavour?

Medium Roast - Roasted on Roest L100 Ultra

Coffee growers in Guadalupe are very traditional coffee growers. They work with their families and their communities to grow and produce coffee how they’ve learned through their lives from their parents and grandparents. Additionally, coffee growers in this region are very committed to the environment, some of them having achieved the Rainforest Certification. Each farm has their own wet mill and drying infrastructure or at least one per family in which they all share their spaces. They own farms with an average of 5 hectares. In the last few years, we’ve noticed an interest in improving their quality, changing some varieties and processes with the objective of achieving better quality for their coffee.
In Guadalupe, Caravela works with many aging producers. However, many of the sons and daughters of these producers are stepping up to support and continue with the family traditions with greater energy, innovation and care for the environment.

About La Virgen

The coffee chosen by James Hoffmann in collaboration with Caravela is produced in La Virgen Guadalupe, in the department of Huila in Colombia, by a collective of independent producers.
Guadalupe is a small municipality in Huila, nestled along the skirts of the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia. Guadalupe is blessed with an abundance of water sources, including the Suaza River, which nourishes the fertile lands and sustains both the community and its agricultural bounty. The region’s water supply, combined with fresh, cool weather, creates ideal conditions for growing high-quality crops. Today, the hardworking people of Guadalupe make their living through cattle farming, river fishing, and cultivating crops like corn, beans, citrus fruits, and, most notably, coffee – one of the area’s most valuable resources.

About Coffee in Colombia

Colombia is one of the world’s most iconic coffee-producing countries, known for its mountainous landscapes, rich soils and deep coffee-growing culture. Across the country, small producers grow coffee in diverse microclimates, creating cups that range from bright and fruit-driven to chocolatey, nutty and comforting.

This lot sits firmly in the classic Colombian style, sweet, clean, balanced and familiar, with the kind of profile that feels like home for many Colombian coffee drinkers.