- New
FREE EU SHIPPING ON 4 BAGS
Colombia
El Silencio
Cup Notes: Fermented blackberry, cherry, Red apple, Dark Chocolate
El Silencio is back. After being one of our bestsellers, this distinctive Castillo from Cauca returns with the same bold character that made it stand out.
Complex and structured, with fermented fruit character, vibrant red apple acidity, and a clean, lingering dark chocolate finish.
Suggested for espresso and filter
when we roast
We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*
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Details
- Producer
- El Silencio
- Country
- Colombia
- Terroir
- Piendamo, Cauca
- Altitude
- 1700-1850 masl
- Process
- Anaerobic Natural - Parabolic Drying
- Arabica cultivar
- Castillo
- Picked in
- Oct - Dec 2025
- Arrived in
- March 2026
- Shipped in
- Jute + GrainPro
- Roast profile by
- Rubens Gardelli
- Roasted on
- Customised solid-drum roaster
THE STORY BEHIND
Producer Robinson Rivera has been growing coffee for 18 years and has been a member of the ACC group for the past 5 years.
This lot comes from El Silencio farm, located between 1700 and 1850 meters above sea level. The farm covers 6 hectares dedicated entirely to Castillo variety.
Asociación de Caficultores del Centro del Cauca por la Paz (ACC) is a non-profit organization founded in 2016 in Piendamó, Cauca. Its main goal is to improve coffee quality throughout the entire value chain, from cultivation to commercialization, generating a positive social impact by supporting farmers’ wellbeing, protecting the environment, and promoting peace in the region.
ACC has 77 members, each managing an average of 1.5 hectares at altitudes between 1700 and 2100 meters. All members share the belief that cooperation is key to reducing poverty and social conflict. The association supports them with commercial strategies and agricultural technologies, while allowing each producer to independently choose their processing methods, including innovative fermentations.
The association operates a rented storage facility in Piendamó, next to the coffee purchasing center, which includes a fully equipped laboratory for coffee selection and cupping, conducted by a Q-Grader.
Last year, 900,000 kg of parchment coffee were purchased, of which 20,000 kg scored 86 points or higher. These volumes include coffee from both members and commercial partners located in the municipalities of Morales, Cajibío, Totoró, and Caldono.
THE VARIETY
Castillo is named after the researcher Jamie Castillo, who helped Cenicafe, Colombia’s coffee research centre, develop the varietal in 2005.
Castillo was designed as an improvement on the Colombia variety. It is resistant to leaf rust (roya) and has quickly become the most planted coffee in Colombia. It is high-yield, resistant to leaf rust and other prevalent diseases and its smaller size allows for greater planting density.
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
As producers increasingly focus on the impact of fermentation on coffee quality and profile, they are adopting new techniques to diversify their offerings. One method gaining popularity is controlled anaerobic fermentation, where coffee is kept in a vessel without oxygen for part of the process.
This naturally processed lot undergoes 48 hours of tank fermentation before being dried in raised beds at 28°C.
Drying is paused after 16 hours, and the temperature is increased to 37°C until the coffee reaches 20% humidity. The coffee is then rested in sealed barrels for 24 hours before being further dried in a parabolic dryer down to 10% moisture.
