Producer: Marlon Rojas Pérez
Farm: La Reserva
Region: Pitalito, Huila
Variety: Papayo
Process: Washed Anaerobic Oxidised in Cherry
Altitude: 1720 masl
Harvested: 2025
 
Cupping notes: Tropical fruits, floral, melon, mango, orange and honey.
 
Another great coffee from Colombian Cup Tasters Champion Marlon Rojas. A third-generation producer, Marlon left a career as a commercial pilot to join his uncles at La Reserva, their family farm in Pitalito, Huila. Together they focus on intentional processing and rare Colombian varieties.
 
The Papayo variety takes its name from the papaya-like shape of the cherry, a natural mutation that gives the plant extra resistance to pests like broca. Once believed to be a Caturra mutation, it’s now considered more closely related to Ethiopian landrace varieties. It’s still rare, mostly grown in Huila, and has become one of those exciting “new classics” in Colombia - like Pink Bourbon and Ombligón - that are beginning to appear more often on competition stages.
 
This lot was oxidised in cherry for 48 hours, then depulped and fermented with mucilage for 88 hours in sealed tanks under anaerobic conditions. After that, it was washed and slowly dried on raised African beds.
 
Papayo remains one of the most intriguing Colombian varieties - expressive, structured, and born from curiosity and craft.
 
Transparency.
What we paid:
-Coffee: 23.25€/Kg
-Shipping: 0.43€/Kg
-Packaging, labelling and sorting: 2€
Quantity bought: 70 Kg