Origin : Colombia
Region: Caldono, Cauca
Altitude: 1700
Producer: Paola & Carlos Trujillo
Variety: Aji Bourbon
Process: Natural
Tasting notes: Syrupy and sweet with notes of jammy passionfruit, blackberry and cacao.
Patio Bonito is a hardworking and innovative family-run farm in Caldono, Cauca. Founder Carlos Arturo Trujillo has been a coffee farmer for almost 50 years, and he says, "It has been a long road, but in the end, it is very satisfactory." He is assisted on his farm by his daughter, Paola Trujillo, who has been especially integral in helping Carlos perfect the fermentation process for his coffee. Paola spent many years previously working as a cupper and buyer in Nariño and Huila for an exporting company. After returning to the farm in 2022, she has innovated how they process their washed and natural coffees, including “thermal shock” and anaerobic modulations to their processes. The Trujillo's first met Cafe Imports in 2015 and Carlos says “I am thrilled at the opportunity to continue a decades old relationship and feel confident that the legacy we have built together is one that my daughter's can carry on well after I am gone." The total area of the farm is 11 hectares, with 9 hectares of coffee, or 47,000 coffee trees across 13 varieties, including Castillo, Colombia, and Pink Bourbon, Gesha, Typica, SL-28, Red Bourbon, Java, Bourbon "Aji", Sidra, Pacamara, Laurina, and Wush Wush. The Trujillo family are passionate in their pursuit of quality, and in their attention to detail in every aspect of the farm. According to the Trujillo's, all operations at Patio Bonito are grounded in three core values: food security, soil conservation and management, and coffee cultivation. The farm's mission is "to provide alternatives and training to farmers and students on the management, conservation, and exploration of natural resources and the environment," and the family's philosophy is, “The best legacy we can leave to our children is: love, knowledge, and a planet in which to live."
Variety Select lots comprise coffees of a single noteworthy variety, sourced either from an individual farm or from several farms and blended together. These lots are designed to highlight the flavor potential that is inherent in particular coffee varieties, and are the result of great care and attention to detail on the producer's part. These coffees are microlot-level quality and come with a high degree of traceability.
We started sourcing naturally-processed coffees from Colombia in 2018 and since, have grown to love the unique cup profile that can be achieved through this process. In general, the ripest cherries are selected for natural processing, they are often hand sorted or float-sorted, cleaned, and placed on raised beds in a covered area to dry for at least a two-week period. The high humidity and rainy climates across Colombia do add to the challenging of achieving a high-quality naturally-processed coffee; but, when it is done properly and the coffee is moved consistently throughout the curing process, we find the resulting cup profile to be exquisite.
A Typica-related variety that is the result of a natural mutation of Typica-derivative coffees cultivated in Yemen and transplanted to Île Bourbon (now called Réunion Island).
Cauca is in central-western Colombia, stretching from the Western Cordillera mountain range to the Pacific Ocean. Ocean winds and elevation result in Cauca being one of the coolest regions of the country. The coffee in this area is grown mostly by indigenous or Afro-descendant communities. Geographically, the region has many features including the Popayan Plateau, many rivers, and the central volcanic mountain range.
