Marysabel Caballero and her husband Moises Herrera have always favoured washed coffees at their estate, believing this processing gives the best sense of the varietal and terroir in the end cup. More recently, however, they have been encouraged to experiment with fermentation by importers and roasters, along with their son Ezri who was inspired by coffees he saw in America. The results have been truly exciting. By combining their expertise in precise and clean profiles with more intense processing, the family are now producing exceptional experimental concept coffees that never give over to being over fermented - or as Moises puts it, ‘tasting more like cacao than coffee’.
Our seasonal house coffee Unit 14 is a Caballero washed Catuai, and it is amazing to taste this very different expression of the same varietal from the same land. ‘Confite’ means bonbon, so-called due to the way the coffees on the drying beds are wrapped in tarpaulin, resembling a big bonbon. This extended fermentation natural is fruity, candy-like and absolutely delicious - truly deserving of its namesake. Marysabel and Moises have always put quality at the front and centre of how they run Caballero. They have a keen focus on environmental sustainability and have put a lot of work into the clay soil quality on their farms, developing fertilisers and carefully intercropping with local fruits and flowers.
Seasonal buying is about seeing coffee as a crop not a commodity, buying in harmony with the growing seasons to enjoy coffee at its best. This kind of buying has always been the backbone of our business and it’s something we’ve improved and refined every year.
