Colombie - Monteblanco Coco

Origin: Colombia

Region: Acevedo - Huila

Process: Natural co-fermented with coconut

Varieties: Caturra

Producer: Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia

Altitude: 1730m

Tasting notes:  Coconut, pineapple, mango, floral

* 250g bag of pure bliss!

This exceptional coffee from Finca Monteblanco is fermented with coconut.

Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia is a third-generation coffee producer at Finca Monteblanco. His grandfather began growing coffee here several decades ago, and today Rodrigo strives to preserve the farm’s natural diversity and productivity.
Finca Monteblanco is located near Cueva de los Guacharos, one of Colombia’s 59 protected parks. The Suaza River also flows nearby, providing the fresh water needed for growing and processing.

Rodrigo grows Caturra, Geisha, Pink Bourbon, and Pacamara varieties at Finca Monteblanco. The high altitude and superb microclimate of Acevedo, in Huila, create ideal conditions for growing specialty coffee.

For this lot, Rodrigo selected “Purple Caturra,” a Caturra variety whose leaves and cherry color differ from those of Red Caturra. When measuring Brix sugar content, “Purple” Caturra has a higher Brix level than classic Red Caturra. 

Before processing the cherries, Rodrigo combines them with a blend of lactobacillus, saccharomyces, and cerevisiae bacteria, a total of 10 different yeasts, to encourage fermentation. Rodrigo also adds cholupa, an acidic fruit often used to make a type of lemonade, and dried coconut to enhance the flavor. Finally, he adds a sugar-rich blend to fuel fermentation, such as molasses, panela, or granulated sugar. The mixture is sealed and fermented for 8 days. After 8 days, the cherries are added to the fruit mixture and fermented for 180 hours (7.5 days).

After fermentation, the coffee is washed with clean water and dried on parabolic beds. The cherries are raked frequently to ensure even drying. Drying the cherries takes about 25 to 30 days.