Colombia Edwin Noreña

White Honey Gesha

Known throughout the industry as El Alquimista (The Alchemist), Edwin has become closely associated with advanced fermentation methods.

Shared first with Brew Crew VS subscribers

Not available online

Variety: Gesha
Process: White Honey

Flavour: apricot, white wine, strawberry jam, elderflower

Body: Acidity:

Roast: Omni (filter + espresso)

Origin story and details

Producer: Edwin Noreña
Farm / Cooperative: Campo Hermoso
Region: Quindio, Colombia
Altitude: 1650m above sea level

Very Special

It’s the third time we’ve featured this crazy, innovative producer (last time was in June 2025). This time it’s a Gesha variety, and the fermentation process is slightly different, named White Honey processing.

A beautiful field

Finca Campo Hermoso is located in the Colombian department of Quindío. It’s owned and run by Edwin Noreña, a third-generation farmer, Q grader and agroindustrial engineer.

Very early on, he saw the potential of specialty coffee and transitioned his farm and system to produce into this side of the coffee market; at Finca Hermoso, they started producing high-quality and innovative lots that would later earn international recognition due to their placement in competitions.

Edwin is one of many small producers who work with the Santuario Project, which sources the most exceptional lots to market to clients who appreciate the story and effort behind them.

Over the last several years, Edwin has teamed up with Camilo Merizalde of The Santuario Project fame to build an innovative coffee partnership that’s pushed fermentation and processing techniques to dizzying new heights.

Campo Hermoso farm.

White honey ‘mossto’ lactic / extended fermentation process

1. Harvest and screening The coffee cherries are harvested when they’re at a specific ripe point, in this case, over 18° Brix. Then, they are soaked in water for 2 hours, during which they are cleaned and sorted for any defects.

Coffee cherries co-fermenting with mossto, by Edwin Norena

Coffee cherries awaiting the process stage at Campo Hermoso

2. Initial 72 h carbonic maceration. The coffee cherries undergo an initial 72 h carbonic maceration (also known as anaerobic natural fermentation with intact – not crushed – cherries) in 2,500 kg tanks.

This stage generates a byproduct called must (mosto/mossto or coffee cherry juice), which is collected at pH 4.2 and 11.5° Brix and inoculated with LALCAFÉ ORO™ yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). 24 hours later, it’s inoculated again with LALCAFÉ BACTI-F (Lactobacillus helveticus).

3. Subsequent 72 h co-fermentation with mossto. The coffee cherries are transferred to 200 kg tanks/containers with the inoculated mossto, fermenting for an additional 72 hours period.

Edwin working during the fermentation stage

4. Removal of 70% of mucilage, plus drying stage. The cherries are then partially depulped, removing approximately 70% of their mucilage (similar to white honey process mucilage levels). Then, they are sun-dried in a greenhouse under controlled conditions for 10 days.

5. Final steps and storage. Finally, the cherries are stabilised, cupped, and classified before being stored under controlled conditions at 65% RH-18°C media.

Views at Campo Hermoso farm

Traceability

100% Gesha coffee beans, provided by Condesa and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, harvest date, and more) that our importers share with us for public use.

Being transparent helps us to talk confidently about the quality and background of the products we sell. It also helps you to know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest sourcing

The coffees we share are generally less than 1 year old (from harvest date). Sometimes, when and only if they meet our tasting standards, they can be a bit older, but normally no more than ~18 months.

While harvest age/freshness is a crucial factor in the final cup’s flavour, there are other elements in the pre-roast stage that can lengthen or shorten the potential of a green coffee lot:

quality of the drying/processing methods
packaging
storage conditions

Once in Australia, our green coffee is stored in temperature-stable warehouses arranged by each importer; each month, we draw what we’ll roast in the next 3-4 weeks. All lots are packed in GrainPro or vacuum packs, unless otherwise determined by the supplier (for example, the decaf bags).

Learn everything about this coffee:

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check all our brew guides.

For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and materials

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Best brewed 15–49 days post-roast

When you leave your whole beans to rest (inside the sealed bag) until our recommended window, you’re brewing at optimum flavour and acidity.

This time allows for the gas compounds, absorbed during the roasting process, to leave the coffee. If you brew too early, it may not be bad, but you’ll miss out on each coffee’s best flavour.

Our recommended brewing window

FAQs

Do you ship anywhere in Australia?

Yes! We deliver our coffee and brewing gear Australia-wide, roasted to order and in compostable and recyclable packaging.

Do you ship internationally?

We ship coffee beans to select international countries. Check the list to see if we ship to your destination.

Can I buy pre-ground coffee?

Yes, we offer pre-ground options for different methods:

- Ground for domestic espresso (home espresso machine)
- Ground for stovetop (Bialetti)
- Ground for AeroPress / Kalita / Cold Brew / Moccamaster / Plunger / French Press (immersion style)
- Ground for V60/Chemex (pour over style)

Do you source your coffee ethically? How so?

We source our coffee from small growers, producers, and cooperatives through responsible importing companies; 95% of our green coffee beans are supplied by Caravela Coffee, Cafe Imports, Osito, and Melbourne Coffee Merchants (certified B Corporations), plus Condesa Co Lab, Cofinet, and a few more.

We share all the traceability information we have about each coffee lot (territory of origin, producer, variety, processing method, importer, quality grade) on each dedicated coffee page. This applies to the blend components in our espresso blends.

Learn more about our coffee philosophy.

Do you roast dark or light?

We roast our single origins using omni roast medium/light profiles. (Omni means you can use the coffee both for filter and espresso brewing, no need to buy different bean bags with specific roast styles.)

We roast our espresso blends using darker profiles.

Learn more about our approach to roasting.

What is ‘specialty coffee’?

The definitions and references to specialty coffee are tricky, if not controversial.

Historically, and as most people see it these days, specialty coffee is Arabica beans that score over 80 in the old Specialty Coffee Association point scale. Today, the SCA refers to specialty coffee as “a coffee or coffee experience that is recognised for its distinctive attributes, resulting in a higher value within the marketplace.”

Our single origins are Arabica +85 SCA score and our blend components Arabica +80, which could be considered ‘true specialty’ coffee. Though we prefer to use the term ‘high quality’ and back this claim with solid traceability data.

What’s the benefit of your coffee subscription?

When you subscribe, you get freshly roasted coffee delivered as often as you need, so you don’t have to be so hands-on in planning your coffee purchases.

Also, you get free shipping on every delivery, and you can cancel or pause whenever you need – no lock-in periods.

Can I buy these beans in your coffee shops?

Yes, definitely! You can walk into any of our cafes in Sydney (or our wholesale network) and grab what’s available on the shelves. You can also buy online here and select free pickup from the Sample Coffee stores.

See all our FAQs

Sample Coffee Roasters warehouse in St Peters, Sydney

With love, from Sample

We’re an independent coffee roasting company based in Gadigal land / Sydney, Australia

We’ve been sharing exceptional coffees since 2011, with a particular focus on rotating single origins, ethical sourcing, and homebrewing accessibility.

Our daily work is driven by quality, consistency, transparency, and fun. This approach has slowly and organically connected us with a community of homebrewers and professionals who value how we do business and, above all, love delicious coffee beyond the hype.

Learn about us