Colombia
Elias Quilcue Apio

Washed process Caturra

Flavour: strawberry, green apple, lemon

Body: Acidity:

In the southern part of the Tolima department, nestled in the mountains at the far edge of the municipality of Planadas, we meet Elias Quilcue Apio and his family. He lives and farms in an area that belongs to the indigenous Paez community. Elias has been involved in coffee farming since 2002 on his farm, El Diviso. Around 2019, inspired by a local association and through workshops, he made the shift to specialty coffee. This transition not only improved the quality of his coffee but also enhanced his quality of life and allowed him to upgrade his farm infrastructure.

On his farm, Elias also grows produce for local consumption, all cultivated organically with a deep respect for the environment. In his spare time, he enjoys weaving and crafting artisanal objects. He takes great pride in his farm—its rich biodiversity, water sources, and the surrounding green mountains. Elias is especially proud of his cultural heritage and often shares stories of his grandparents, who were indigenous healers that lived on the farm and treated people with natural remedies.

Elias processes his coffee with care and precision. It begins with the selection of ripe cherries, which then undergo an in-cherry fermentation for 20 to 24 hours in bags. The cherries are then floated to remove less dense beans and any foreign material such as leaves or twigs. Next, they are pulped without water, and the beans are fermented in black bags for 100 to 120 hours. After fermentation, the beans are washed twice. Drying is carried out in parabolic-covered patios for 20 to 25 days, depending on the weather conditions.

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Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

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Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

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Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

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Our packaging

Producer: Elias Quince Apio
Farm/Coop: El Diviso
Country: Colombia
Region: Tolima
Altitude: 1750m above sea level
Variety: Caturra
Process: washed
Harvested: August 2024
Importer: Caravela
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Strawberry, green apple, lemon
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

The location

Coffee from Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world and benefits greatly from having one of the most unique and complex set of micro-climates of all coffee producing nations.

The Tolima region of Colombia

The word ‘Tolima’ comes from the local indigenous language and means a “river of snow or cloud”.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.