Colombia — Los Patios Field Blend (Honey — Solsticio)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Red Berries • 🍒 Cherry Nibs • 🌺 Hibiscus

DETAILS

• Producer: Smallholder farmers / Los Patios (Coffee Quest)
• Farm: Los Patios processing station, Gigante, Huila
• Region: Gigante, Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Field Blend (predominantly Castillo)
• Process: Honey (Solsticio — triple co-fermentation)
• Altitude: 1700–2000 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Scarlet Sweetheart is a vibrant honey-process field blend sourced from smallholder farmers across Gigante, Huila, and processed at the innovative Los Patios facility. It uses the Solsticio method — a proprietary triple-fermentation protocol developed by The Coffee Quest's R&D team — to achieve a jammy, intensely fruited profile that punches well above its price point.

In the cup, expect jammy red berries and black cherry candies, floral hibiscus, and a rich cherry nib finish. It is sweet, vibrant, and complex — an ideal everyday specialty filter that showcases what thoughtful processing can do with a Castillo field blend.

THE PRODUCER

Los Patios is a cutting-edge coffee processing and research facility operated by The Coffee Quest in Gigante, Huila. Established to address the challenges of inconsistent on-farm processing and limited infrastructure for small producers, Los Patios opened as a centre for innovation and experimentation, supporting local growers by aggregating their cherries and elevating cup quality through advanced processing techniques.

The cherries for Scarlet Sweetheart come from a group of smallholder farmers whose farms range from 1,700 to 2,000 MASL across the La Plata area of Huila. By centralising processing at Los Patios, Coffee Quest ensures these farmers receive significantly higher green value for their coffee than would otherwise be achievable — whilst creating a consistent, distinctive flavour signature that would be impossible to replicate at individual farm level.

The Castillo variety that makes up the majority of this field blend is a hybrid — a cross between Caturra and Timor Robusta — bred specifically for resistance to coffee leaf rust. Whilst often associated with more commercial production, in the hands of skilled processors like Los Patios, its inherent sweetness and body can be elevated into something genuinely special.

THE PROCESS

The Solsticio process at Los Patios is a proprietary triple-fermentation protocol:

• 🍒 Farm-Level Aerobic Fermentation — Cherries undergo at least 12 hours of aerobic fermentation at the farm before de-pulping
• 🧪 Fruit Juice Solution — A custom "fruit juice" co-ferment is prepared separately at Los Patios, with all aromatic precursors fully developed through controlled external fermentation
• 🔧 Mixed Fermentation Stage — The solution is added to de-pulped cherries: 5 hours aerobic, then 12 hours sealed anaerobic — creating the profile Solsticio while preserving physical bean quality
• ☀️ Controlled Drying — Coffee dries at Los Patios for 12–16 days with constant movement and rotation for even moisture reduction, targeting 10–11% moisture
• 📅 GrainPro Stabilisation — Stored and stabilised in GrainPro bags post-drying, which has been shown to further enhance and preserve the lot's profile

The result is a coffee with the sweetness and mouthfeel of a honey process, elevated by the complex aromatic layering that Solsticio's unique fermentation protocol creates.

THE CUP

Scarlet Sweetheart is vibrant, sweet, and unabashedly jammy. The honey process delivers a luscious body and intense fruit sweetness, while the Solsticio fermentation adds floral complexity and a distinctive hibiscus note. The finish is long, sweet, and saturated with cherry nib richness.

Flavour Notes

• 🍓 Red Berries
• 🍒 Cherry Nibs
• 🌺 Hibiscus