This coffee's story

Daniel Bermúdez represents a new generation of Colombian producers who approach coffee with a scientific and experimental mindset. Together with his family, he operates Finca El Paraíso, a farm that has gained international recognition for innovative processing methods rather than traditional profiles.

Rather than focusing primarily on terroir expression through classic washed processes, Daniel became known for developing precise and repeatable fermentation protocols. His approach integrates controlled temperature, pH monitoring, oxygen management, and carefully defined fermentation times. This allows him to design flavor profiles with a level of consistency that was historically difficult to achieve in coffee production.

One of his most notable contributions is the refinement of double fermentation and thermal shock techniques. In these processes, coffee cherries or pulped beans undergo multiple fermentation stages, sometimes followed by rapid temperature changes using hot and cold water. These steps alter cellular structure, stabilize aromatic compounds, and significantly intensify fruit expression, sweetness, and mouthfeel.

Coffees from El Paraíso often present highly expressive profiles, featuring tropical fruit, florals, creamy sweetness, and vibrant acidity. Because of this clarity and intensity, his coffees are frequently used in barista competitions, including World Barista Championship routines.

Despite the experimental nature of his work, Daniel emphasizes control rather than chaos. His goal is not fermentation for its own sake, but precision and reproducibility. Every variable is measured and adjusted to ensure that each lot performs consistently from batch to batch.

Daniel Bermúdez’s work reflects a broader shift in specialty coffee toward process-driven flavor design. While this style can be polarizing, his influence is significant. He has expanded the boundaries of fermentation in coffee and helped redefine what is possible when processing is treated as a craft in itself.

Processing

This profile begins with carefully harvested coffee cherries picked at their optimal stage of ripeness. Once harvested, the cherries are disinfected using ozone and then transferred to fermentation tanks.

The first fermentation takes place at the cherry stage. The cherries undergo a 72-hour anaerobic fermentation, submerged in water and a Lactobacillus-based milk culture medium. This stage encourages the development of aromatic and flavor precursors while maintaining tight microbial control.

After the initial fermentation, the coffee is pulped. The parchment coffee is then mixed with the leachates collected during the cherry fermentation, increasing the concentration of flavor precursors within the seed. A thermal shock washing process follows, using controlled temperature changes to help fix these compounds inside the coffee and stabilize the structure of the bean, preparing it for drying.

Drying is carried out in a dehumidifier, allowing moisture to be removed gently and evenly. This controlled environment preserves delicate flavor characteristics, limits oxidation, and effectively halts metabolic activity, preventing overfermentation.

Once drying is complete, the coffee is stabilized and stored in a cool environment. Final selection and threshing are carried out according to strict quality standards, ensuring consistency and clarity in the finished lot.