Very Special
This edition of Very Special visits Paola Trujillo’s farm, called Patio Bonito (beautiful backyard) in Cauca, Colombia. She offers a washed lot of 100% Wush Wush, a rarely-seen and kinda mysterious coffee variety.
There’s indeed a lot of hearsay about it. Cofinet, the importer, tells us it arrived in Colombia about 25 years ago from the Wushwush area southwest of Ethiopia—so, technically, it’s an Ethiopian Heirloom sub-variety that has evolved and adapted on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Paola and la familia
Paola Trujillo is a dedicated young coffee grower who, along with her family, owns Patio Bonito Farm. This 11-hectare property is situated at 1570 meters above sea level in the Pescador municipality in the northern part of the Cauca department.
Paola and her family are renowned for cultivating a range of coffee varieties, from high-quality traditional types to exceptional exotics, including Castillo, Colombia, Bourbon Rosado, Gesha, Bourbon Aji, Bourbon Sidra, SL28, Wush Wush, Typica, and Laurina, among others.
Her mother, Maria Angela, instilled in her the importance of sharing knowledge, while her father, Carlos, provided her with the opportunity to contribute to the coffee project. After studying chemical engineering, Paola decided to join the family business and support her parents in coffee cultivation.
Paola has mastered all stages of pre- and post-harvest processes, focusing on enhancing coffee quality and processing. The whole family is involved in this endeavour, helping to create a well-regarded family project in the region.
Wush Wush variety
This microlot is 100% Wush Wush, a rare varietal in Colombia. It is believed to have arrived from Ethiopia about 25 years ago in Wushwush, southwest of Ethiopia.
If you’re curious, you can read about the hearsay on this Perfect Daily Grind write up..
This lot
This coffee, grown by Paola Trujillo at Patio Bonito Farm, is produced with meticulous care. The cherries are harvested based on strict ripeness criteria, then floated and hand-sorted to remove any defects. Afterwards, the cherries undergo 30 hours of underwater fermentation before being pulped. The parchment is gently washed and dried under controlled temperature conditions until the ideal moisture content is achieved.
