Colombia Diofanor Ruiz La Divisa Washed Papayo

Lime | Berries and Currants | Chrysanthemum

This is a deliciously simple washed coffee grown by Diofanor Ruiz at his farm La Divisa. This is not the same La Divisa of the Gonzalez family. When we visited La Divisa during the harvest season of 2022, Diofanor was sporting a cowboy hat, with a checkered top, dark blue jeans and boots. He brought us to a tour of his farm land and a little nursery at the back of his house, where he has a vegetable greenhouse and a bee house for collection of honey. 

Colombia coffee grows under the blessing of Andes Mountains, the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America from Colombia in the north to Chile in the south. In the department of Quindío where La Divisa is located, the lowest point is 1,100m in the valley of La Vieja River while the highest point is the 5,150m peak of Nevado del Quindío. Ancient volcanic eruption laid a blanket of fertile soil in the area, feeding the large areas of rainforest and bamboo forests. The ample rainfall of around 2,000mm and cool temperature range of 16 - 24°C make ideal conditions for coffee growing. 

At an altitude of 1600 - 2000m at La Divisa, this coffee is 100% Papayo. This varietal is a rare mutation that took place in Acevedo, Huila. Ripe cherries turn orange in colour and the shape is similar to a papaya, hence its name of Papayo which means papaya in Spanish.

Carried by Cofinet which processes all their coffees at Finca La Pradera in Quindio, this Papayo is processed by Diofanor himself at La Divisa using a different washed method. The coffee is harvested following strict ripeness criteria, floated and hand-sorted to remove any defects. Cherries were then exposed to 30 hours of underwater fermentation in a fermentation tank. The cherries are then pulped and the parchment coffee was then gently washed and dried in temperature controlled conditions until ideal moisture content was achieved. 

Roast Level
We have roasted this coffee light with about 1.5 min development with a low ROR at the end. We work to reduce the raw, earthy and starchy notes which often accompany Colombia coffee, requiring us to roast deeper. Yet, we balance it with our desire to preserve the delicious notes of small red and black fruits, on a vibrant acidity that tickles the tongue from hot to cold. As usual, our roasting allows easy drinking without tartness even when cold.

Brew Flavour
We are brewing this coffee using 16g to 250ml of 90°C water at 700 µm grind size. We are using the Timemore B75 and CAFEC TH-1 paper. This coffee presents complex characteristics against a smooth and juicy body that lasts from hot to cool. With fruits and flowers dominating the brew, it is defined by light and bright notes when hot, shifting to more citrus notes when slightly cool and then to deeper matured fruits when cooler. When hot, we enjoyed its limey and red berries aroma of cranberry and raspberry, accompanied by jasmine and chrysanthemum, turning into roselle, hawthorn and blackcurrants when slightly cooler, further changing to dark cherries, milk chocolate and pecan when even cooler. The acids are in harmony from hot to cold, and the density of the coffee from its slow growth in the high elevation gives a thick and juicy body that is commensurate to the spectrum of fruits and flowers it presents. Our recipe is as follows:

0th sec - Pour 50g of water, in 15 sec
45th sec - Pour 150g of water to reach 200g, by 90th sec
100th sec - Pour 40g of water to reach 240g, by 110th sec

This coffee tastes fantastic in ice. Drop a piece of ice in your hot brew and get a refreshing coffee for a hot weather.

Enjoy!