Colombia — Elias Roa & Bellanid Sánchez, Finca Tamana, Papayo (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌿 Herbal • 🍍 Tropical Fruits • 🍒 Red Berries

DETAILS
Producer: Elias Roa & Bellanid Sánchez
Farm: Finca Tamana
Region: El Pital, Huila, Colombia
Varietal: Papayo
Process: Washed
Harvest: July 2025
Size: 250g

INTRO

Papayo is a cultivar first encountered in Huila, Colombia — its name derived from the papaya-like shape of its cherries. Tim Wendelboe has been tasting this coffee from Finca Tamana for several years, and the 2025 harvest is the finest version yet: intensely fruity, with a clean and juicy character that sets it apart from the farm's other lots.

Tim suspects this may be a Pacamara relation — the cup profile and the slightly larger bean size both point in that direction — though the genetics have yet to be confirmed. What's certain is the result in the cup: a slight herbal undertone with vivid tropical and red fruit flavours.

THE PRODUCER

Finca Tamana is a 57-hectare plantation set in the mountains between El Pital and La Plata in Huila, Colombia. Elias Roa acquired the farm in 2011 after it had been left abandoned, and has managed it alongside his family ever since — transforming it from a farm with little infrastructure into one of Tim Wendelboe's most prized long-term sourcing partnerships.

Tim first met Elias in 2007 in Acevedo, and the two began collaborating in earnest in 2012, when Tim spent a week on the farm working through improvements to picking, processing, and drying. The partnership has since developed into something far more comprehensive: agronomic support, infrastructure investment, and the introduction of over 30 new cultivars — including the Papayo — to explore new flavour possibilities at altitude.

Elias's wife Bellanid manages the farm's kitchen and day-to-day operations, feeding the family and seasonal workers alike. Since 2012 the farm has been entirely rebuilt: new parabolic dryers, a stainless-steel eco-mill that uses up to 80 times less water than traditional wet mills, and improved storage and vacuum-packing protocols to preserve quality from harvest to export.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca Tamana involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Cherries are hand-picked by trained seasonal workers under Elias's supervision, with only ripe cherries selected. Further hand-sorting removes underripe and damaged fruit before processing.
• 📅 Overnight Cherry Rest — Harvested cherries are held in an open-air hopper overnight before depulping begins the following morning.
• 🧪 Fermentation — Depulped parchment coffee ferments for approximately 24 hours in clean stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation is halted precisely when mucilage releases cleanly, before any negative flavour development can occur.
• 💧 Eco-Mill Washing — Coffee is washed using a mechanical eco-mill, reducing water consumption from the traditional 50–100 litres per kilo down to just 0.5–1 litre per kilo.
• ✅ Soaking & Flotation Removal — Washed parchment soaks for 24 hours in clean, tiled cement tanks. All floaters — low-density, lower-quality beans — are removed during washing and soaking.
• ☀️ Shade-Dried on Parabolic Beds — Clean parchment is transferred to parabolic dryers covered with shade nets, raked regularly throughout the day to ensure even drying. Drying takes 20–30 days, completing when moisture content falls below 11%.
• 📅 GrainPro Storage & Vacuum Packing — Dried coffee is sealed in airtight GrainPro bags for storage, then vacuum-packed before shipment to Norway to preserve freshness.

This meticulous approach results in a clean, stable cup that lets the Papayo cultivar's distinctive tropical and red fruit character express itself fully.

THE CUP

A clean and juicy coffee with a slight herbal undertone and vivid, intense fruit. The 2025 harvest is the most distinct and expressive version of this lot Tim has produced, with clarity and brightness across the entire cup.

Flavour Notes

• 🌿 Herbal
• 🍍 Tropical Fruits
• 🍒 Red Berries