One of a kind. A coffee unlike any other — one that completely surprised me. Love at first sight.
Process: Washed + Fermentation
Microorganism: Kluyveromyces Lactis
Technique: Washed with Thermal Shock
Elevation: 1960 m.a.s.l
Roast: Light
Region: Columbia — Huila
Farm: Finca el Paraiso
About the process
The process of this profile begins with the proper harvesting of the coffee cherries, at an optimum point of ripeness. Then the coffee cherries are disinfected with ozone, and they are transferred to the cherry fermentation tanks, in which a lactic anaerobic fermentation process is carried out for 72 hours. After fermentation, the coffee is pulped and then washed in clean water. The thermal shock process is used to fix the flavors obtained during fermentation, in which the temperature of the process must be controlled and the hot-cold cycle process is carried out to fix the organoleptic precursors and the metabolic notes for a good drying process. Dried in a dehumidifier to remove humidity, preserving the soft notes of the coffee and avoiding over-oxidation of the coffee seed and stopping the metabolic processes to avoid over-fermentation. Stabilization and storage in a cool place. Selection and threshing according to the quality standard.
13.06.2026
It’s finally here.
Truth be told, I didn’t have to wait long at all. One message to Kamil was enough:
“Mate, do you have any of that amazing coffee left?”
“M-03.”
That was his reply. And instantly, I knew.
If I’m going to start this project with a truly exceptional coffee, there’s no better place to begin than with M-03.
Over the years, I’ve tasted quite a few remarkable coffees: outstanding Geshas, my beloved Pink Bourbons, Sidras, fascinating fine Robustas, barrel-aged lots, co-ferments, lactic fermentations, thermal shock processes, and all sorts of experimental creations from recent years—including watermelon co-ferments (and yes, even cappuccinos made from them).
Yet none of those coffees are what M-03 is.
I can’t wait to roast the samples tomorrow.
14.06.2026
I’ve been roasting coffee for about three, maybe four years now. I placed fifth in the Polish Roasting Championship, and I have to admit something: before roasting, I rarely checked the density of green coffee.
It’s time to change that.
That’s what this project is all about—improving myself and refining my craft.
The only problem? I don’t have any professional equipment for measuring bean density with me.
Or do I?
I may not have specialized equipment, but I do have a Master’s degree in Mathematics and a decent grasp of physics.
Density equals mass divided by volume.
I have a scale.
A container with a known volume? No problem.
As a gym rat, my apartment is overflowing with empty creatine and protein powder tubs. There it was—beautiful, black, matte-finished, and conveniently marked with a capacity of 1100 ml.
Simple math, and we’re in business.
1100 ml and 829.4 g of coffee gives a density of 0.754 g/ml, which means we’re dealing with a fairly dense coffee.
My first thought after opening the bag:
I missed this.
The aroma is creamy, milky, and spicy—almost strangely out of place in the summer weather outside. It feels more like Christmas than June.
Then again, who says we can’t celebrate Christmas in June?
Time to fire up the Kaffelogic, a small sample roaster.
Eight samples.
100 grams each.
Eight different roast profiles.
Let’s see what happens.
16.06.2026
M-03 Roast Trial – 8 Samples
Alright, we have eight M-03 samples.
I was supposed to do the cupping earlier, but a coffee-related existential crisis got in the way. Instead, I spent the entire evening after work watching John Wick and eating ice cream. Such is the life of a roaster.
Anyway, here are the results.
Each sample started with 100 g of green coffee and yielded:
This corresponds to weight losses of:
The Agtron readings for each sample were:
Let's Move on to the Cupping
Notes from an Irritated Roaster's Diary
I've just finished the cupping.
I remembered this coffee as being creamy, milky, and spice-driven. Instead, what stood out most was its remarkably high acidity.
The lightest roast surprised me the most. It showed a distinctly fruity character. Normally, I'm not a fan of ultra-light roasts that taste like grass and hay, but this one was actually quite enjoyable.
Going into the session, I expected the acidity to decrease as the roasts became darker, while sweetness, creaminess, and spice notes would become more pronounced.
I was wrong.
The acidity remained surprisingly persistent throughout the roast spectrum, while the creamy character gradually faded away. Eventually, darker roast notes started to emerge, and in the darkest sample they turned into unmistakable asphalt and charcoal flavors.
The clear winner was Sample #2, with an Agtron value of 104.4.
We'll see where this goes from here. My next step will be to experiment with roast duration in an attempt to tame the acidity without losing the coffee's character.
Stay tuned.
