Vantage Espresso - Colombia Washed

About the Coffee

This coffee comes from smallholder farmers in Nariño, one of Colombia's southern departments that borders Ecuador. Farms here sit between 1,700 and 2,100 meters above sea level, some of the highest growing elevations in the country. At that altitude, cooler temperatures slow the development of the coffee cherry, which gives producers more time to pick at peak ripeness.

The coffee is a field blend, meaning it's made up of multiple varieties grown together on the same farms rather than a single isolated variety. After harvest, the beans are washed processed, where the fruit is removed and the coffee ferments briefly in water before being dried. This method tends to produce a cleaner, more consistent cup compared to natural or honey processing, which is part of why it works well as a base for espresso drinks.

Ethica lists this as their preferred washed espresso from Central or South America, rotating the specific lot seasonally while keeping the profile consistent. It's built to pull well in a range of espresso drinks, not just straight shots.

About Ethica Coffee Roasters

Ethica Coffee Roasters is based in Toronto and takes its name from Baruch Spinoza's philosophical work, Ethica Ordine Geometrico Demonstrata. The idea is that how a business acts should align with its values, not just in sourcing but across the whole chain from farmer to cup. Their team focuses on sourcing specialty green beans and sharing the stories behind where the coffee comes from.

Their roasting approach is guided by respect for the raw material. They source hand-picked specialty greens and treat the process of getting from green bean to roasted coffee as something worth doing carefully rather than quickly.

"There is an Ethica coffee that stands out in my mind - a Washed Castillo from Wilton Benitez that had rosemary as a tasting note. Yes, rosemary. I remember looking at that tasting note in disbelief, and then experiencing about the same disbelief by how much I loved the rosemary flavour!"

- Dean, Director of Coffee