Colombia | Miriam Quesada | Castillo Anaerobic Natural #8486

$24.00 AUD

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20 in stock

Roast Date Upcoming Roast November 18 PLACEHOLDER 1 PLACEHOLDER 2

Size 320g 480g 1000g

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This coffee’s roasted in our filter style — meaning it’s designed to shine as black coffee rather than with milk. That doesn’t mean you have to brew it as a pour-over though. You can make it however you like — espresso, moka pot, AeroPress or anything in between. We simply roast it a little lighter to highlight the bean’s origin flavours giving you a cup that’s clean, vibrant and full of clarity.

Lighter roasting keeps more of the natural acidity and sweetness intact which makes for a beautifully expressive black coffee. This coffee is best enjoyed without milk as it’s too acidic and the flavours don’t pair well once milk is added.

If you prefer your milk coffee with richer caramel, toffee or nutty flavours you might enjoy our espresso range more. Those roasts are taken a little darker to bring out deeper sweetness and balance beautifully with milk.

Origin and Sourcing

Varietal: Castillo

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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.

Processing Method: Natural Anaerobic

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The Natural Anaerobic process combines traditional natural drying with controlled, oxygen-free fermentation to create a bold and complex cup. Ripe coffee cherries are first sealed in airtight tanks or barrels, where they ferment without oxygen (anaerobically) for a set period—often several days. This environment encourages specific microbial activity, leading to the development of unique flavour compounds. After fermentation, the cherries are dried whole on raised beds or patios, allowing sugars and flavours to concentrate as the fruit dries around the seed. The result is a coffee with intense fruitiness, jammy sweetness, and rich body—often featuring tropical, boozy, or fermented notes with a distinct depth and complexity not found in traditional naturals.

Producer: Miriam Quesada Enciso & Libardo Encisoiaz

Farm: Finca El Guayacan

Region / Area: Hulia, Columbia

Altitude: 1550 MASL

Harvest Period: October – February 2025

Sourcing Partner: Succafina

Coffee Storage Climate Controlled

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This green coffee is stored at 23°C in a climate-controlled room, which is a step up from standard warehouse storage, as the ambient temperature does not fluctuate as much

Roast Details

Roast Style Filter

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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 and intensity; 20%+ is Starbucks/Italian for bold, smoky depth. Some would say the higher the %, the 'stronger' the coffee.

Roasting Weight Loss 12.0%

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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

Internal Agtron: 102

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This is a more accurate reflection of the actual roast colour than external as its measured after grinding, internal Agtron reveals how far into the bean the roast has penetrated. Our filter roasts often score over 100, preserving acidity, florals, and the unique vibrant characteristics of each origin and process. Please bear in mind that grind courseness can affect the internal colour readings, so it is impossible to compare from roaster to roaster using this colour reading.

External Agtron: 78

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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 color, 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.

Agtron Spread: 24

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The Agtron spread is the difference between the colour of whole beans and ground coffee, showing how deeply the coffee is developed. A spread of 0–10 usually are very dark, oily roasts typical of Italian-style which we dont offer at our Roastery. Spreads between 11–20 and 21–30 represent the roast levels you'll find in our espresso coffees, balancing sweetness, acidity, and body. Spreads above 30 make up most of our filter coffee range, featuring very light, bright roasts that highlight fruity, floral, and complex flavours. Within this, spreads from 31–40 offer clarity and vibrancy, while spreads of 40–50 showcase ultra-light roasts with delicate acidity and nuanced character.

Micron Adjustment: -40

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This shows how the recommended grind size for this coffee differs from our baseline Coastal Blend setting. A negative number means a finer grind is recommended; a positive number means coarser. It helps dial in your grinder without starting from scratch.

Roasted On: 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: Mango, Passionfruit, Cacao nibs

Cupping Score: 85.0

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Our coffees are scored using the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) protocol by Q Grader–certified cuppers. A score of 80+ qualifies as specialty grade — clean, well-processed, and high quality. 80–84 coffees are more common and often used in blends. 85–87 are brighter, more complex, and better suited for high-quality filter brews. 88–90 are exceptional, and 90+ coffees are ultra-rare, often Cup of Excellence (COE) winners — the best in the world.

Suitable To Go With Milk?: No

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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

Import into xBloom (18g)

About Miriam Quesada Enciso & Libardo Enciso

Miriam Quesada Enciso is a second-generation coffee producer. She inherited Finca El Guayacan from her ex-husband when they split their land. She has been cultivating coffee on the farm since 2005. Today, Miriam and her current husband, Libardo, manage Finca El Guayacan using a focus on high-quality cultivation and processing.

Cuatro Vientos is a family-owned exporter based in Colombia. Founded in 2018 by Julian & Yonatan Gonzalez and based in Huila, the company is named after the Gonzalez’s first farmnwhere the brothers spent much of their childhood. Yonatan and Julian learned much of what they know from their father, Armando Gonzalez who was a “pergaminero,” someone who bought and sold parchment coffee. Sucafina has worked with Cuatro Vientos since 2021.

Through their partnership with Sucafina, Cuatro Vientos is able to more effectively reach new markets. This, in turn, means they can work with more farmers and develop better programs to support their farmers.

Cuatro Vientos has 3 purchasing points in Huila: Acevedo, Santa Maria and Algeciras. These points are more than just places where they buy coffee, though. They are service hubs where farmers can access services to maintain quality and reach new markets. For Cuatro Vientos, farmers are long term partners who are focused on quality.

With these three locations, Cuatro Vientos is able to source fresh coffee year-round. In their unique position across Huila, they can tap into two alternative harvest seasons within Huila. The northern Huila harvest occurs in the first half of the year and the southern Huilaharvest happens during the second half of the year, providing high-quality coffees year round.

They also own 2 warehouses that are strategically placed in Acevedo (in Southern Huila) and Campo Alegre (in Northern Huila). The warehouses provide an array of important services to farmers. Farmers can dry their coffee, store dried parchment in silos and learn to grade and evaluate coffees in the cupping labs.

Cuatros Vientos adds value by offering logistics and milling support to the over 30 farms that they work with. These farmers are all specialty oriented and Cuatro Vientos’ focus on specialty processing helps farmers ensure that their coffees are handled properly.

One of Cuatro Vientos’ biggest impacts is their credit line offerings. Growers need financing at the beginning of the harvest and it is difficult for them to access financing through traditional banks due to a lack of financial documentation. By providing financing through their partner, Bancolombia, Cuatro Vientos is supporting long term farmer profitability. They also provide financial education workshops that increase farmers’ financial literacy and promotes overall success.

They also provide marketing services for farmers, helping them manage samples and tell their stories. Importantly, they act as an integral part of a two-way conversation between producers and roasters about what they’re looking for, what they can do and how they can best achieve the results they’re looking for.

Cultivation

The volcanic loam soil is nutrient-rich and excellent for growing coffee. In addition to coffee, Miriam and Libardo also cultivate plantain and yucca.

Miriam and Libardo are working on improving harvesting methods and ensuring the laborers pick only ripe, red cherry. They’re using incentives like better prices and free meals to entice good workers and reward their efforts.

Once coffee is harvested, they float cherry and remove any lightweights. The good quality cherry is then placed in sealed bags and fermented for 4 days. Following fermentation, they deliver cherry to a separate drying facility where it dries for approximately 15 days. Cherry is turned frequently to ensure even drying.

About Castillo

Castillo is a variety released by Colombia’s National Center for Coffee Investigation (CENCICAFE) in 2005. It is marked by high yield and resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR). Its dwarf size means it can be planted close together for higher per-hectare yields. Research has indicated that Castillo has a strong quality potential, contrary to popular quality assumptions about Castillo.

Coffee in Colombia

Colombia has been producing and exporting coffee renowned for their full body, bright acidity and rich aftertaste, since the early 19th century.

Colombia boasts a wide range of climates and geographic conditions that, in turn, produce their own unique flavors in coffee. This also means that harvest times can vary quite a bit. In fact, between all its different regions, Colombia produces fresh crop nearly all year round.

The increasing focus on the specialty industry is changing the way traders and farmers do business. It is becoming more common for farmers to isolate the highest quality beans in their lots to market separately. These higher-quality lots are often sold under specific brands or stories.

Besides its wide variety of cup profiles, Colombia has quickly expanded its certification options over the past 10 years. The most common certifications available are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ and Organic.

SKU: colombia_miriam_castillo_320g
Package Weight: 400g

How does my coffee come packaged?

Despite some of our product images looking very fancy our coffee is packaged into a plain brown paper foiled lined bag with a Swiss WIPF degassing valve. This offers superior oxygen and moisture protection. We recommend once you crack the seal you store your coffee in AirScape containers or Weber Workshop Bean Cellars for a single dosing option.
You can also freeze/vacuum seal in small lots, then use straight away once removed from freezer.

We don't have fancy printed bags with ziplocks (more plastic), we save that cost and buy better quality green beans so you can focus on your cup quality instead of fancy marketing and artwork.

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Colombia | Miriam Quesada | Castillo Anaerobic Natural #8486