EXCEPTIONAL SUBSCRIPTION

This month's coffee:

Origin: Huila, Colombia
Variety: Castillo
Process: Advanced Washed
Farm: Betania Farm
Roast: Omni
Best For:Filter • Espresso

September's Exceptional Subscription coffee is Ginger Beer: a vibrant, expressive Colombian coffee with lively citrus acidity, layered sweetness, and a crisp, refreshing profile. Produced by Linarco Rodriguez at Betania Farm in Huila, this lot demonstrates how thoughtful washed processing can create remarkable clarity while delivering depth and complexity.
Processed using an advanced washed method, this coffee offers bright citrus notes supported by ripe sweetness and a clean, structured finish. The controlled 32-hour anaerobic fermentation develops additional complexity without overshadowing the coffee's natural character, resulting in a cup that is juicy, elegant, and beautifully balanced. While lively and expressive, it remains refined and exceptionally easy to drink.

This coffee shines as a filter, where its sparkling acidity and layered sweetness come together with outstanding clarity, while as an espresso it produces a vibrant, syrupy shot with excellent balance and a clean, lingering finish.
Following harvest, only perfectly ripe cherries are hand-selected before being floated to remove lower-density fruit and impurities. After depulping, the coffee undergoes a carefully controlled 32-hour anaerobic fermentation, allowing the remaining sugars in the mucilage to slowly develop sweetness and complexity. The coffee is then thoroughly washed before being dried on raised beds for 20–25 days, with regular turning to ensure even drying and optimal moisture content before stabilisation and export.
We chose this coffee because it showcases just how expressive a washed Colombian coffee can be. It combines precision, sweetness, and exceptional clarity, producing a cup that feels vibrant, refreshing, and wonderfully balanced.

This coffee was produced by Linarco Rodriguez at Betania Farm in Palestina, Huila, one of Colombia's most celebrated coffee-growing regions. Sitting at approximately 2,000 metres above sea level, the farm benefits from cool mountain conditions that promote slow cherry maturation and contribute to the coffee's vibrant acidity and complexity.
Betania Farm forms part of a collaborative network of 117 smallholder producers committed to producing exceptional coffees through sustainable farming and continuous quality improvement. Working together, these producers share infrastructure including cupping laboratories, drying facilities, and centralised warehouses, allowing each farm to maintain complete traceability while consistently producing high-quality coffees.
At the heart of this community is Linarco Rodriguez, affectionately known as "Don Lino", whose dedication to quality and innovation has helped raise standards across the region. Alongside preserving traditional farming knowledge, he has introduced improvements in harvesting, fermentation control, and drying practices while mentoring younger producers and promoting environmentally responsible agriculture.
The result is a coffee that reflects both the remarkable terroir of Huila and the collective commitment of the producers behind it: clean, expressive, and thoughtfully crafted with respect for both tradition and innovation.

V60

Coffee: 18g

Water: 310ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size:  EK 8.5 / ~26-28 clicks on Commandate

Method

1. Rinse the paper filter, add 18g of coffee and gently level the bed
2. Bloom, add 50g of water
3. Swirl gently to ensure even saturation
4. Wait 30 seconds
5. Pour up to 150g total by ~1:00
6. Keep a steady, controlled pour
7. Pour up to 310g. Maintain a slow, consistent flow,
8. Let it drain completely (finish around 2:30–3:00)

Hario switch 

Coffee: 16g

Water: 280ml

Temp: 94°C

Time: 3:00

Grind size: EK 8 / ~25–27 clicks on Comandate

Method

1. Rinse paper
2. Add coffee 
3. Bloom with 50g of water for 30s (valve closed)
4. Open the valve for 30 seconds
5. Close the valve, add 150g of water (total 200g)
6. At 1m50s open valve
7. Let it drain
8. Slowly pour 280g of water 
9. Let it drain

Aeropress

Coffee: 14g

Water: 200ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:45-3:00

Grind Size: 7-7.5 on EK / 24-26 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper. Add 14g of coffee
2. Add all 200ml of water quickly
3. Stir 3-5 times gently
4. Insert plunger at ~0:20 (to stop dripping), let sit until 1:45-2.00
5. Press slowly (60 sec)
6. Finish around 2:45-3:00

Orea

Coffee: 18g

Water: 300ml

Temperature: 94°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size: 6-7 on EK / 20-24 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper and preheat everything. Add 18g of coffee.
2. Spiral pour to 60g, wait 30s
3. Pour to 140g wait 30s
4. Pour to 220g, wait 30s
5. Pour to 300g and let it drain

V60 

Coffee: 18g

Water: 310ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size:  EK 8.5 / ~26-28 clicks on Commandate

Method

1. Rinse the paper filter, add 18g of coffee and gently level the bed

2. Bloom, add 50g of water

3. Swirl gently to ensure even saturation

4. Wait 30 seconds

5. Pour up to 150g total by ~1:00

6. Keep a steady, controlled pour

7. Pour up to 310g. Maintain a slow, consistent flow,

8. Let it drain completely (finish around 2:30–3:00)

Hario switch 

Coffee: 16g

Water: 280ml

Temp: 94°C

Time: 3:00

Grind size: EK 8 / ~25–27 clicks on Comandate

Method

1. Rinse paper

2. Add coffee 

3. Bloom with 50g of water for 30s (valve closed)

4. Open the valve for 30 seconds

5. Close the valve, add 150g of water (total 200g)

6. At 1m50s open valve

7. Let it drain

8. Slowly pour 280g of water 

9. Let it drain

Aeropress

Coffee: 14g

Water: 200ml

Temperature: 92°C

Total Time: ~2:45-3:00

Grind Size: 7-7.5 on EK / 24-26 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper. Add 14g of coffee

2. Add all 200ml of water quickly

3. Stir 3-5 times gently

4. Insert plunger at ~0:20 (to stop dripping), let sit until 1:45-2.00

5. Press slowly (60 sec)

6. Finish around 2:45-3:00

Orea

Coffee: 18g

Water: 300ml

Temperature: 94°C

Total Time: ~2:30-3:00

Grind Size: 6-7 on EK / 20-24 on Comandante

Method:

1. Rinse the filter paper and preheat everything. Add 18g of coffee.

2. Spiral pour to 60g, wait 30s

3. Pour to 140g wait 30s

4. Pour to 220g, wait 30s

5. Pour to 300g and let it drain

We dispatch orders every Monday. The cut-off for orders is midday on the preceding Thursday.

We ship all orders via Royal Mail 24 Tracked. Deliveries typically arrive within 1–2 working days after dispatch.

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