Colombia · Fresno, TolimaThe Bayter family
Grow the rare Papayo, traded like a Gesha
Study their own yeasts to steer each ferment
Read their story →Our story
Five short chapters. About three minutes.
01 · Curiosity
An Ethiopia from Sidama, sealed 96 hours, roasted by Terres de Café. Fruitier than I knew coffee could be. In New York I couldn't find anything close: what I found was boozy, wild, or different every batch. So I went looking for the producers who control it.
Alex, founder
02 · Craft
The producer seals whole cherries away from oxygen for a set number of hours. That window shapes most of what you taste.
Tap a coffee to see its steps.
Uganda · East Mt. Elgon · SL14 · SL28 · Nyasaland · 1,400–2,000 m · Norman Mukuru
Chocolate · Banana flambé · Coconut
SL14, SL28 and Nyasaland red cherries are carefully picked, wet and hand-sorted, then graded.
Whole cherries are sealed for a 48-hour low-oxygen fermentation, to increase cup depth and complexity.
Slowly dried on raised beds, with careful shade control.
Cherries and beans are separated through milling.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
Uganda · East Mt. Elgon · SL14 · SL28 · Nyasaland · 1,400–2,000 m · Norman Mukuru
Guava · Peach · Magnolia · Pear · Port wine
SL14, SL28 and Nyasaland red cherries are carefully picked, wet and hand-sorted, then graded.
Whole cherries go under a slow, sealed, oxygen-free fermentation for 96 hours.
Slowly dried on raised beds, with careful shade control.
Cherries and beans are separated through milling.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
Ethiopia · Arbegona, Sidama · 74158 Heirloom G1 · 2,230 m · Mulugeta Muntasha · Dawencho station
Papaya · Strawberry wine · Watermelon · Tea
600 smallholders around Arbegona station deliver coffee cherries at peak ripeness of this indigenous, naturally evolved varietal.
Coffee cherries are carefully fermented in sealed, oxygen-free tanks to enhance the fruit flavours.
Beans are slowly sun-dried on beds above 2,300 m.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock these beans’ unique flavour characteristics.
Ethiopia · Arbegona, Sidama · 74158 Heirloom G1 · 2,300–2,400 m · Mulugeta Muntasha · Dawencho station
Apricot · Lime · Raspberry · Honeysuckle
600 smallholders around Arbegona station deliver ripe coffee cherries.
Coffee cherries are carefully depulped, fermented and washed clean.
Beans are sun-dried slowly on beds above 2,300 m.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
Colombia · Fresno, Tolima · Papayo · 1,500 m · Bayter · El Vergel Estate
Strawberry · Mango · Chocolate · Pineapple
Careful selection at peak ripeness of Papayo coffee cherries, a rare and exceptional varietal.
A 4-hour aerobic pre-fermentation phase, to enhance the coffee’s natural fruity and tropical notes.
96-hour anaerobic fermentation in hermetic tanks, with humidity held at 22–25% for a slow and even fermentation.
A controlled 76-hour mechanical drying process, to lock in the integrity of the varietal’s exotic notes.
Beans rest 30 days in GrainPro before milling, so moisture equalises through the bean.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
Colombia · Pitalito, Huila · Caturra · 1,750–1,950 m · Hernández family, Finca Los Nogales
Tropical fruit · Banana · Rose · Tangerine
Ripe cherries are picked and sorted by density.
A thermal shock treatment at 80 °C for 20 seconds is applied, to open the pores and release the sugars.
Cherries are fermented in oxygen-free sealed tanks for 96 hours, with a coffee-cherry fermentation starter liquid saved from a previous lot.
Drying takes 2 to 4 days; beans are separated and then rest 15 days before leaving the farm.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
Colombia · Manzanares, Caldas · Caturra · 1,800 m · Reforest Project · processed at El Vergel
Cocoa · Cherry · Blueberry · Green apple
Caturra cherries, renowned for their complex flavour potential, are meticulously selected.
A first 36-hour anaerobic pre-fermentation enhances the development of fruity and tropical notes.
Cherries are fermented for 96 hours in oxygen-free tanks at 23 °C, to build sweetness, acidity and complexity.
Dried for 7 days, to reach 22% humidity.
Beans are separated and rested for 30 days, to 10.5% moisture, for the flavours to settle.
Selected beans are roasted with precision to unlock their unique flavour characteristics.
03 · Producers
We don't ferment the coffee. They do. Our job is finding the ones who do it on purpose.
Colombia · Fresno, TolimaGrow the rare Papayo, traded like a Gesha
Study their own yeasts to steer each ferment
Read their story →
Ethiopia · Arbegona, SidamaProcessed Ethiopia’s 2022 Cup of Excellence winner
Placed 2nd in Cup of Excellence Ethiopia 2021
Read his story →
Colombia · Pitalito, HuilaWon Colombia’s first Cup of Excellence, 2005
Ferment with a saved starter, like sourdough
Shop the lot →
Uganda · Mt. ElgonBuilt processing for a major Ugandan exporter
Buys cherry from about 300 local farmers
Read his story →
Colombia · Manzanares, CaldasAbout 60 families planting native shade trees
Dried at El Vergel for consistent quality
Shop the lot →04 · Science
aroma compounds reach a level you can taste in sealed-ferment coffee, compared with washed coffee, in peer-reviewed lab studies.
Compound counts vary with varietal, altitude, vessel and hold time. "More than forty" means compounds that reach tasting level in anaerobic lots compared with washed controls.
05 · Your cup
Uganda86+
Four days sealed turns toffee into guava, with a port-wine edge underneath.
GuavaPeachMagnolia
ColombiaReserve87+
A cultivar almost nobody has tasted, grown and processed on the Bayters’ own estate.
StrawberryMangoChocolate
Roasted in small rounds, sealed the same day.