Producer: Mauricio Duque
Farm: Dulce Misterio
Region: Neira, Caldas
Variety: Gesha
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1850 - 2040 masl
Harvested: 2024
 
Cupping notes: Citrus like lime, floral, pear, stonefruits, yellow plums, molasses and green tea finish.
 
Some coffees are just products, but this one is a story—of dedication, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence.
 
Meet Mauricio Duque, a man who once ran a successful coffee exporting company but found himself at a crossroads when the pandemic changed everything. Instead of stepping away from coffee, he dove in deeper, chasing a lifelong dream: to produce Colombia’s finest specialty coffee—clean, sustainable, and a true reflection of its terroir.
 
The Farm: A Sweet Mystery
Mauricio spent years searching for the perfect land, analyzing soil, altitude, and even competition winners from the region. In 2019, he found it—a farm near Neira, Caldas, sitting between 1,850m and 2,040m. The soil here is special. Everything that grows on this mountain—oranges, sugarcane, coffee—is naturally sweeter, and the Brix levels prove it. That’s why he named his farm Dulce Misterio (Sweet Mystery).
 
Mauricio believes that great coffee doesn’t need overcomplication—just careful attention to detail at every step. His process is designed to enhance the coffee’s natural flavors, not mask them.
 
It all starts with the right cherries—only those at peak ripeness, measured with a refractometer to ensure they hit the right Brix level. His pickers, paid a fixed salary instead of by weight, don’t rush or take shortcuts, ensuring only the best cherries make it through.
 
From there, the coffee undergoes a meticulous fully washed process:
Selective handpicking & sorting – Only the ripest cherries are used, with under- and overripe ones set aside.
Floating & washing – Removing defects for a cleaner start.
48-hour cherry fermentation – Sealed tanks with controlled gas release.
Pulping with minimal water – Keeping the mucilage intact for better fermentation.
48-hour mucilage fermentation – Enhancing sweetness and complexity.
Single-wash & careful drying – African beds inside a parabolic dryer, ensuring even drying and lot separation for quality control.
 
Mauricio is obsessed with precision—controlling pH, temperature, and moisture at every stage. No shortcuts, no compromises. The result? A coffee that is clean, vibrant, deeply expressive of its origin and proof that the best coffees come from those who truly care.