Los Patios - Colombia (Cherry-Ferment)

This is a coffee that represents where the specialty coffee world is moving. Developed by the Research & Development team at Los Patios, a processing facility in La Plata, Huila, Colombia, this lot explores the boundaries of what is possible with coffee processing. The goal was to elevate the traditional character of Castillo, a variety known for its structure and reliability, while creating a more expressive and unique cup profile.

At our roastery, we believe it is important to share these innovations with our customers. Coffee is constantly evolving, and new processing techniques such as co-fermentation are becoming an important part of the conversation. Whether you love them or are still discovering them, we believe understanding what is happening in the coffee world is essential. By sharing these coffees transparently, we want to create awareness around the differences between traditional fermentation, anaerobic fermentation, and co-fermentation.

This lot starts with coffee from smallholder producers in the Huila region, farming between 1,600 and 1,900 metres above sea level on farms averaging around 3 hectares. After harvesting, the coffee cherries are depulped and undergo an initial 12-hour aerobic fermentation before the wet parchment arrives at Los Patios.

At the processing facility, the R&D team adds a carefully developed cherry concentrate together with their own proprietary solution. This creates a second fermentation phase, where the focus is not on adding external flavours, but on transferring and enhancing the natural flavour precursors within the concentrate and the coffee itself. The coffee rests in this fermentation and absorption stage for approximately 48 hours, allowing the flavours to develop and integrate.

Afterwards, the coffee is carefully dried in mechanical silos for 8 days, with continuous monitoring and rotation to ensure an even drying process while protecting the quality and structure of the beans.

Los Patios was founded in 2022 with the mission of strengthening the entire coffee supply chain, working closely with producers while exploring new possibilities in processing. Since 2023, their dedicated R&D team has been developing innovative techniques focused on improving quality, consistency, and creating new expressions of coffee.

This coffee is not here to replace traditional processing , it is here to show what is possible when curiosity, science, and craftsmanship meet. A chance to taste a piece of the future of coffee while understanding the process behind it.