Region: San Pedro - Cauca - Colombia.

Farmer: Emiro Robledo.

Farm: La Maria.

1.700 MASL

Process: Washed

Variety: Papayo.

Notes: Orange, Hazelnut, Caramel, Floral, Balanced Sweetness, Medium Acidity.

Size: 10 oz.

In October 2025, Jack Simpson won the World Barista Championship in Milan with two coffees on his bench. One of them was a Papayo.

The variety is named for its cherries, which grow in elongated clusters, ripen orange, and look like small papayas. Nobody has proven where it came from. One theory circulating in the trade points to a research farm near Acevedo, in Huila, that was cultivating varieties from around the world and was later abandoned, leaving the plants behind. Others link it to Ethiopian landraces, or to Pink Bourbon. None of it has been confirmed by genetic testing.

Almost all Papayo grows in Huila. This one is from Cauca — 1,700 meters, on Emiro Robledo's farm La María — which makes it unusual before you even taste it. Simpson's was an anaerobic natural. This one is washed, so the fruit stays clean instead of jammy. Orange first, then hazelnut and caramel underneath.