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Colombia | Zarza | Jonathan Gasca | Papayo Tropical Fruit Forward Lush Natural | Signature Series

Colombia | Zarza | Jonathan Gasca | Papayo Tropical Fruit Forward Lush Natural | Signature Series

$125.00 AUD
$125.00 AUD
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This coffee’s roasted in our filter style — meaning it’s designed to shine as black coffee rather than with milk. That doesn’t mean you have to brew it as a pour-over though. You can make it however you like — espresso, moka pot, AeroPress or anything in between. We simply roast it a little lighter to highlight the bean’s origin flavours giving you a cup that’s clean, vibrant and full of clarity.

Lighter roasting keeps more of the natural acidity and sweetness intact which makes for a beautifully expressive black coffee. This coffee is best enjoyed without milk as it’s too acidic and the flavours don’t pair well once milk is added.

If you prefer your milk coffee with richer caramel, toffee or nutty flavours you might enjoy our espresso range more. Those roasts are taken a little darker to bring out deeper sweetness and balance beautifully with milk.

Origin and Sourcing

Varietal: Papayo
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Papayo is a rare Colombian coffee variety that most people have never come across, grown mainly in the highlands of Huila in small quantities. It produces long, papaya-shaped cherries, which is how it got its name, and farmers prize it for its bright, juicy and fruit-forward cup profile. Because yields are low and trees are fragile compared to commercial cultivars, Papayo is usually only available as tiny microlots, often showcasing flavours like tropical fruit, citrus, florals and sweet complexity. It is still somewhat mysterious, with its genetic origins not fully documented, which adds to the intrigue for specialty coffee drinkers discovering it for the first time.
Processing Method: Natural
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The natural process involves drying whole coffee cherries under the sun, allowing the beans to absorb flavors from the fruit as they dry. This results in a coffee with a heavy body, fruity sweetness, and complex flavors. It’s commonly practiced in Ethiopia and Brazil, where the climate is conducive to sun-drying.
Producer: Jonathan Gasca
Farm: Zarza
Region / Area: Bruselas, Huila
Altitude: 1550–1800 MASL
Harvest Period: September
Sourcing Partner: Direct From Farm

Roast Details

Roast Style Filter
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Filter roasts are lighter with a shorter development time, designed to highlight clarity, acidity, and fruit-driven complexity — perfect for black coffee and filter methods. These roasts can also be used for espresso, especially if you enjoy brighter, more vibrant shots. Try longer brew ratios or turbo shots to tame acidity and bring out sweetness. Espresso roasts, on the other hand, are developed further to encourage deeper caramelization and Maillard reactions, producing richer, chocolatey, and nutty flavours that shine in milk and offer a fuller-bodied espresso. We don't usually roast omni (one roast for all brew methods) — in our experience, it tends to be a compromise that's average at both. But occasionally, for larger lots or versatile blends, we may do an omni roast to suit both black and milk drinkers.
Roasted On: Roest L100 Ultra
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The ROEST L100 Ultra is the most advanced sample roaster in its class, combining the precision of the L100 Plus with next-generation hardware upgrades and new airflow technology. A redesigned, fully perforated drum with reversible rotation introduces a counterflow mode that channels air directly through the bean mass—allowing faster, more efficient heat transfer and enabling lighter roasts or second crack in under 90 seconds. With upgraded 5 GHz Wi-Fi, a faster processor, built-in pressure sensor, and refreshed UI matching the P3000, the Ultra offers better batch consistency (even at 50g), improved airflow calibration, and lower energy consumption. It’s a serious tool for roasters wanting unmatched control, speed, and repeatability—while still fitting neatly on the benchtop.

Taste Profile

Tasting Notes: Floral and aromatic, tropical fruit, kiwi, pineapple, brilliant acidity, juicy and long residual
Cupping Score: 93.0
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Our coffees are scored using the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) protocol by Q Grader–certified cuppers. A score of 80+ qualifies as specialty grade — clean, well-processed, and high quality. 80–84 coffees are more common and often used in blends. 85–87 are brighter, more complex, and better suited for high-quality filter brews. 88–90 are exceptional, and 90+ coffees are ultra-rare, often Cup of Excellence (COE) winners — the best in the world.
Decaffeinated? No
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Colombia | Zarza | Jonathan Gasca | Papayo Tropical Fruit Forward Lush Natural | Signature Series - When is peak freshness?

Medium Roast - Roasted on Roest L100 Ultra

This Coffee has been part of some top places in competitions!

  • World Barista Championship (WBC) 2025
    Result: 1st place
    Competitor: Jack Simpson

Tropical Fruit Forward Lush

Paints a picture of rich and vibrant tropical fruit flavors within the context of a fruit-forward coffee profile. It conveys a sense of abundance and lushness in the fruity characteristics of the coffee. This coffee is treasured for its complexity and multidimensional taste profile. In addition to the fruitiness, you will experience floral lactic and even nutty undernotes. This complexity adds depth and character to the coffee profile. 

About Papayo

Papayo stands out as one of the rarest and most intriguing coffee varieties cultivated by Jhonatan Gasca. Known for its complex tropical sweetness and vibrant acidity, Papayo expresses the distinctive terroir of southern Huila. The combination of Jhonatan’s experimental approach, careful cherry selection, and controlled multi-stage fermentation allows Papayo to reveal its signature profile—bright, silky, and profoundly aromatic.

Jonathan Gasca
Born in Pitalito - Huila on September 24th, 1992

About Zarza Farm
Location: Municipality of Bruselas - Huila.
Altitude: 1650 M.A.S.L.
Area: 30 ha.
Planted Varietals: Pink Bourbon, Sidra Bourbon, Aji Bourbon, Pacamara, Geisha, Wush Wush, Caturra, Catuai, Castillo, Colombia.

Zarza Coffees in recent International Competitions:

Jack Simpson - 1st place Australia Barista Championship 2024 with Pacamara Natural.
Jack Simpson - 2nd place Australia World Barista Champion 2024 with Pacamara Natural.

We sourced this competition coffee lot through LOHAS BEANS who work directly with the farmer and air freight the beans as soon as they are ready from processing.

Click here to view all our coffees that are sourced from LOHAS BEANS

WHO IS LOHAS BEANS?

Lohas Beans is a Colombian exporter that works alongside some of the country’s most respected and forward-thinking producers, helping bring standout Colombian coffees to the global stage. Their lots have appeared in competitions, been served in top cafés around the world, and enjoyed by dedicated home brewers. While Lohas Beans are not producers themselves, they source and offer distinctive, high-quality lots for discerning coffee drinkers by collaborating with leading Colombian producers, including the Vergara Brothers, the Lasso Brothers, Jhonathan Gasca, Orlando Ospina, and Paola Trujillo.


SKU: COL-ZARZA-JG-PAP-TFFLN-SS
Package Weight: 250g

How does my coffee come packaged?

Despite some of our product images looking very fancy our coffee is packaged into a plain brown paper foiled lined bag with a Swiss WIPF degassing valve. This offers superior oxygen and moisture protection. We recommend once you crack the seal you store your coffee in AirScape containers or Weber Workshop Bean Cellars for a single dosing option.
You can also freeze/vacuum seal in small lots, then use straight away once removed from freezer.

We don't have fancy printed bags with ziplocks (more plastic), we save that cost and buy better quality green beans so you can focus on your cup quality instead of fancy marketing and artwork.