Kolumbien Ombligon Washed – washed

Cup profile: 
Violets, red fruits, tropical, grenadine, sweet, cane sugar

Key Facts: 
Peñas Blancas – Nestor Lasso, El Diviso, Huila
washed, 1780 m
Variety: Ombligon

About the coffee: 
We can’t get enough of Ombligon—and neither can you!

That said: same same, but different. We’re still relying on Nestor Lasso and his farm El Diviso (and more recently, the Peñas Blancas Processing Center he co-founded), but this time we’ve opted for a washed process.

The result is every bit as good as what you’ve come to expect from Nestor. In the cup, Ombligon is intense, sweet, and layered—this time, floral notes join the fruit. A truly distinctive, signature Lasso interpretation.

About the processing: 
The ripe cherries are picked, disinfected (a common step in these elaborate, carefully controlled processing methods), and floated. They are first stored for 12 hours and subjected to a controlled oxidation process, before undergoing a 25-minute thermal shock at 50°C. The coffee is then depulped (with the skin and fruit pulp removed) and fermented anaerobically for 80 hours.

Finally, the coffee is dried for around 32 hours in a special stainless steel dehumidification unit, until it reaches a final moisture content of 10–11%. The dehumidification unit allows for precise control of moisture loss and the drying process. The drying room is dark and hermetically sealed to reduce the evaporation of terpenes, preserve the aromas, and prevent external contamination.

About Peñas Blancas:
The Peñas Blancas Processing Center is located in Acevedo, in southern Huila. Founded by Nestor Lasso (El Diviso) and Jhoan Vergara (Las Flores), it serves as a shared hub where smallholder farmers can use modern processing methods and achieve the consistent quality required by the international specialty coffee market.

The center addresses three challenges that local producers have faced to date: limited access to modern processing techniques, inconsistent quality control, and a lack of sales opportunities.

Farmers deliver their coffee to the center and are paid directly. The further processing is carried out collectively and under the supervision of the team on-site, allowing the lots to achieve the required specialty quality and be sold at better prices.

Peñas Blancas works with direct trade relationships and transparent pricing. Its goal is to provide producers with a more reliable income, which they can then invest back into their farms.

Nestor Lasso is known for his experimental processing methods. His work with fermentation and quality control shapes the center’s approach. Jhoan Vergara brings experience in farm management and post-harvest. His focus is on supporting local producers, sharing knowledge and practical experience, and raising the international profile of coffees from Acevedo.

Education is an important part of the concept. The center serves as a meeting place for producers, agronomists, and coffee industry professionals, and offers training and hands-on workshops.