Part of an initiative to support Colombian coffee producers through a difficult period. Carlos Escobar will donate part of the proceeds to support the redevelopment of his home region in Colombia.
BOURBON AJÍ EXPERIMENTAL WASHED – JHONATAN GASCA
Bourbon Ají Experimental Washed comes from Zarza Coffee in Bruselas, Huila, Colombia, where producer Jhonatan Gasca grows the Bourbon Ají variety. Jhonatan is one of the producers Differente Coffee works with most closely. His approach pairs unusual varieties with carefully controlled fermentation, and Differente, the Colombian roastery founded by Carlos Escobar, selected and roasted this lot to show what that combination can do.
Lot details
- Farm: Zarza Coffee
- Region: Bruselas, Huila, Colombia
- Producer: Jhonatan Gasca
- Variety: Bourbon Ají
- Process: Experimental Washed
- Roaster: Differente Coffee
Process. The washed process removes the skin and fruit from the seed and breaks down the remaining sticky layer, called mucilage, through fermentation. The coffee is then rinsed and dried in its parchment. Differente labels this lot “Experimental Washed,” which means the fermentation stage departs from a standard washed protocol. With Bourbon Ají, Jhonatan uses this process to push the variety beyond what a conventional washed coffee would show.
In the cup. Differente deliberately doesn’t provide specific tasting notes for its coffees.
Carlos strongly believes coffee is a subjective experience. Everyone perceives flavors differently depending on their memories, culture, experiences, and personal preferences.
Differente doesn’t want to tell people what they should taste before taking their first sip. Instead, Carlos wants them to explore and discover their own interpretation of each coffee.
That’s why Differente focuses on describing the experience, intensity, character, and feeling behind each coffee rather than providing a list of flavors.
Their selection focuses on coffees that are far from ordinary. Carlos works with some of Colombia’s most innovative producers to showcase expressions of Colombian coffee that go well beyond what people traditionally expect.
About the Roaster – Carlos Escobar, Differente Coffee
Carlos Escobar is the son of a Colombian coffee farmer. He returned to coffee after 12 years in Australia, where he won the 2020 Australian Brewers Cup. He placed third at the 2025 World Brewers Cup in Jakarta, representing Colombia with Differente Coffee. On October 18, 2026, he won the Colombian Brewers Cup (Campeonato Colombiano de Cafés Filtrados) in Bogotá. This is his second Colombian national title, and it qualifies him to represent Colombia at the World Brewers Cup again. He founded Differente in Colombia to roast the country’s top lots where they are grown, instead of exporting them as green coffee.
Each coffee Carlos selects is roasted in Colombia, close to the farm that produced it.
