Finca El Diviso - Papayo Anaerobic Natural

Producer: Nestor Lasso

Farm: Finca El Diviso

Bag Size: 20 Kg Vac Pack Box

Region: Bruselas, Pitalito - Huila 

Altitude: 1,820 MSAL

Variety: Papayo

Process: 120 Hour Anaerobic Natural Process

Notes:

Nestor and Adrian are two young people who represent the new generation of coffee producers in Colombia. They are risky, innovative, and they are in an endless pursuit to develop thought provoking flavor profiles that are truly one of a kind. Today, at 22 and 24, the two brothers have teamed up to run the family farm Finca El Diviso. Nestor’s coffees as of recent have become a cult hit among the industry and have gained acclaim on the world stage from this years 2022 World Barista Championship when his anaerobic natural Sidra was used to win the World Barista Championship.

Néstor at the ripe age of 22 years old, is in charge of Finca El Diviso. Once finishing high school he decided to skip university and to start working directly alongside his father on the farm. He had two uncompromising rules if permanently pursuing a life in coffee: he would not be willing to compromise on quality and to do things in a radically different way than what was traditionally accepted in Colombia. He realized that in order to create better opportunities in coffee, he could not continue down the same old path of coffee farming and continue doing the things the old way. He had to pave a new path, so he convinced his father to plant other varieties and to start producing high-quality coffees since he saw the great potential in the specialty market. In Colombia there is a program that Nestor and his brother Adrian had attended funded by the Colombian government and today this program is recognized as one of the most renowned coffee growing institutions in Latin America, called SENA. Some of the most valuable lessons and knowledge was gained at SENA, by Nestor and Andrian. All the fundamental aspects and basics of coffee cultivation to the intricacies and science behind coffee processing were absorbed while attending the institute.

PAPAYO VARIETY

In 2017, Nestor and Adrian had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador and obtain seeds of a rare coffee varietal that wasn’t well known and they were brought directly from Ethiopia to an experimental center. They tasted the coffee and were blown away by the aromatic, floral and sweet characteristics that they had found in the cup, so they decided to plant it themselves on the farm.

When they harvested the very first production of the papayo, they realized the huge potential that this variety had and immediately began to experiment with new processing methods and different fermentation techniques. They experimented tirelessly until they reached optimal results and yielded cup qualities that demonstrated a level of complexity and balance that had yet to be reached.

The Papayo variety in general is very rare. Rarely ever detected or produced outside of Huila, information about its origins is very limited. Papayo cherries are distinctive, with an elongated shape similar to that of a papaya fruit hence the name “Papayo”. This variety is also revered by local farmers for its natural resistance to the devastating effects of leaf rust and its potential for healthy production yields.

Papayo is also recognized locally as a natural mutation by producers, however more detailed studies and genetic evaluations are required for a solidified confirmation. At present, research shows at least 5 lines of Bourbon Papayo that have been identified and its roots are of Ethiopian descent from local landraces that it seems to be closely related to the Bourbon that arrived in Brazil from Reunion Island, since it shares many phenotypic characteristics that closely relate to this variety. 

The Papayo Variety everyday generates more interest among coffee producers within the specialty industry and the seeds have now been dispersed in various regions of Colombia.

Technical Information - Processing

The process begins with a collection of ripe Papayo cherries with a brix reading between 24 and 26 degrees. Initial fermentation starts in grainpro bags for 48 hours and until the internal bag temperature reaches 35 degrees celsius and then followed by a thermal shock process of 18 degrees celsius. The coffee is then placed into sealed tanks to start anaerobic fermentation for 120 hours. Following fermentation, the coffee goes directly to solar drying beds for 15 - 20 days. It is routinely raked and rotated to assure even exposure and drying. The final phase of drying, the coffee is placed in sealed grainpro bags for an additional 15 days.

REGIONAL INFORMATION

Finca El Diviso is located in the city of Bruselas in Huila. Huila, one of the most vital coffee growing regions in Colombia due to its economy, agricultural and commercial production of coffee. Huila is located in the southern portion of the country where the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes mountains converge. Coffee being the product with the highest national production, especially of arabica that is exported to The United States, Russia, Japan and various countries around Europe. Huila’s coffee farms are predominately smallholder owned and over the past ten years have made consorted efforts to produce specialty coffee that reveals the full character of the region’s terroir. Selective manual harvesting, attentive processing, and careful post-harvest sorting all contribute to increasing recognition of the region.