Papayo Jungle is a natural Colombian coffee from El Vergel Estate in Fresno, Tolima, produced by Elías and Shady Bayter. Papayo variety — a rare and expressive cultivar grown at 1,500 masl. Processing involves 4 hours of aerobic pre-fermentation, 96 hours in hermetic tanks, and 76 hours of mechanical drying. Roasted omni at Lighttell 69, it delivers a tropical, intense cup with chocolate, mango, and pomegranate — a coffee that doesn't leave you indifferent.
Roasting Date: 2026-07-28
Variety:
Papayo 
Origin: Colombia
Region: Tolima
Process: Natural Anaerobic
Cupping Score By Q-Grader: 87,25
Crop Year: 2026
The Bayter family began in 1995 growing avocados in Fresno, Tolima. After a market downturn, they turned to coffee in 2010 at El Vergel Estate, starting with Caturra. By 2015 they had developed their first varietals, and in 2017 Elías and Shady began searching for ways to bridge producers and roasters through innovative processing. In 2019, Forest Coffee was born — today a network of 250 coffee-growing families with four projects across Colombia. Papayo is one of the rarest varieties cultivated at El Vergel, with 3,000 trees planted in 2022 — a cultivar with an intense tropical character that responds exceptionally to natural processing. The processing of Papayo Jungle is among the most intricate we have encountered in Colombian coffee. It begins with 4 hours of aerobic pre-fermentation on tarps — a stage that amplifies the variety's natural tropical notes. The cherries then move to hermetic tanks under shade for 96 hours, with humidity maintained at 22–25%, allowing a slow, layered fermentation that builds complexity impossible to achieve with conventional methods. Mechanical drying follows for 76 hours to reach precise moisture content, and a 30-day stabilisation in GrainPro bags completes the process before milling. At Handpickers, we selected Papayo Jungle because it represents the highest expression of our relationship with Forest Coffee — a family that invests in rare varieties and complex processing without compromise. This coffee is not for everyone. It is for those who want to understand how far a cup can go when every step has been designed with precision.
13gr → 200ml → 91°C → 1:30 min → Inverted Aeropress
Coffee for us is a daily “ritual”. We managed to create a place where we would share our passion with you.
The Papayo variety is grown at El Vergel Estate in Fresno, Tolima, at 1,500 masl. With 3,000 trees planted in 2022, it is one of the rarest cultivars
4 hours of aerobic pre-fermentation on tarps to amplify tropical notes. Followed by 96 hours in hermetic tanks under shade at 22–25% humidity — slow,
76 hours of mechanical drying for precise, uniform moisture content — critical for preserving the flavour integrity developed during fermentation. 30-
Exported through Forest Coffee with full lot-level traceability. The direct producer–exporter relationship ensures transparency, fair pricing, and qua
The roast profile at Lighttell 69 was designed for omni extraction — open enough to express the tropical complexity of the natural process, structured
