Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia, Watermelon Co-fermented
Region: Huila
Altitude: 1730 masl
Process: Watermeon Co-fermented Washed
Varietal: Caturra
We taste: Cantelope, Watermelon Candy, Peach
Finca Monteblanco
Finca Monteblanco, located high along the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora in the San Adolfo municipality above Pitalito, is a family farm managed by Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia in the tradition of coffee cultivation that began with his grandfather. Monteblanco’s 18 hectares sit on the crest of a hill, with the wet mill and drying facilities at the top of the farm and slopes of coffee planted below.
In 2002 Rodrigo participated in a local program teaching local children of coffee producers to cup. Before that, he and his family had never considered coffee in terms of cup profile. By learning to differentiate profiles, he and his father and grandfather were able to make the connections between the farming techniques they applied and coffee’s resulting attributes in the cup.
At this time, Rodrigo also began to learn about cupping competitions that evaluate the best lots from farms in a region. He noticed that farms would win one year and then never again, so he decided to investigate how to produce quality coffee consistently. This led him to explore the trees planted on Monteblanco, where he discovered various varieties his grandfather had planted in the 1980’s. One of these varieties is Purple Caturra, a type of Caturra whose cherries ripen to a deep purple color.
Rodrigo is proud that he, his wife Claudia Samboni, farm manager Don Gerardo, and the team that works in the fields and at the mill have reached the goal of achieving consistent quality. Finca Monteblanco produces microlots with each harvest that serve as competition coffees around the world, but the farm also consistently produces containers of delicious coffees that appear year-round on café menus and retail shelves. By applying an ethic of rigorous monitoring, planning, and management at each stage of production and processing, all coffees from Monteblanco showcase their full potential.
Citrullus Nectar “Watermelon” Co-fermented washed
Cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to the onsite wet mill. Cherry is floated to remove any under or over-ripe coffee. Before processing cherry, Rodrigo combines a mixture of microorganisms such as lactobacillus, saccharomyses and cerevisiae derived from Rodrigo’s Purple Caturra coffee cherries to promote fermentation. Rodrigo also added melon and watermelon juice to this mixture to add additional flavor. Finally, he adds a mixture of molasses and sugar to feed fermentation. The mixture is sealed and fermented for just 8 days. After 8 days, coffee cherries are added to the fruit mixture and fermented for 150 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid in parabolic beds to dry.
In the Cup
We’ve never had a coffee like this before! Right off the bat, before we even grind it, we get that melon scent from the bag. When we first brew it, it smells like cantaloupe and on first sip, it tastes just like biting into a ripe honeydew. The sweetness is like a watermelon candy, hyper-sweet with a watery mouthfeel. As it cools, it becomes more peachy and delicate, with a beautiful syrupy finish that leaves us wanting more. Overall, this coffee is a summer champion - perfect for a beautiful summer morning, or afternoon, or evening, whenever you’re drinking it.
Region: Huila
Altitude: 1730 masl
Process: Watermeon Co-fermented Washed
Varietal: Caturra
We taste: Cantelope, Watermelon Candy, Peach
Finca Monteblanco
Finca Monteblanco, located high along the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora in the San Adolfo municipality above Pitalito, is a family farm managed by Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia in the tradition of coffee cultivation that began with his grandfather. Monteblanco’s 18 hectares sit on the crest of a hill, with the wet mill and drying facilities at the top of the farm and slopes of coffee planted below.
In 2002 Rodrigo participated in a local program teaching local children of coffee producers to cup. Before that, he and his family had never considered coffee in terms of cup profile. By learning to differentiate profiles, he and his father and grandfather were able to make the connections between the farming techniques they applied and coffee’s resulting attributes in the cup.
At this time, Rodrigo also began to learn about cupping competitions that evaluate the best lots from farms in a region. He noticed that farms would win one year and then never again, so he decided to investigate how to produce quality coffee consistently. This led him to explore the trees planted on Monteblanco, where he discovered various varieties his grandfather had planted in the 1980’s. One of these varieties is Purple Caturra, a type of Caturra whose cherries ripen to a deep purple color.
Rodrigo is proud that he, his wife Claudia Samboni, farm manager Don Gerardo, and the team that works in the fields and at the mill have reached the goal of achieving consistent quality. Finca Monteblanco produces microlots with each harvest that serve as competition coffees around the world, but the farm also consistently produces containers of delicious coffees that appear year-round on café menus and retail shelves. By applying an ethic of rigorous monitoring, planning, and management at each stage of production and processing, all coffees from Monteblanco showcase their full potential.
Citrullus Nectar “Watermelon” Co-fermented washed
Cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to the onsite wet mill. Cherry is floated to remove any under or over-ripe coffee. Before processing cherry, Rodrigo combines a mixture of microorganisms such as lactobacillus, saccharomyses and cerevisiae derived from Rodrigo’s Purple Caturra coffee cherries to promote fermentation. Rodrigo also added melon and watermelon juice to this mixture to add additional flavor. Finally, he adds a mixture of molasses and sugar to feed fermentation. The mixture is sealed and fermented for just 8 days. After 8 days, coffee cherries are added to the fruit mixture and fermented for 150 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid in parabolic beds to dry.
In the Cup
We’ve never had a coffee like this before! Right off the bat, before we even grind it, we get that melon scent from the bag. When we first brew it, it smells like cantaloupe and on first sip, it tastes just like biting into a ripe honeydew. The sweetness is like a watermelon candy, hyper-sweet with a watery mouthfeel. As it cools, it becomes more peachy and delicate, with a beautiful syrupy finish that leaves us wanting more. Overall, this coffee is a summer champion - perfect for a beautiful summer morning, or afternoon, or evening, whenever you’re drinking it.
Region: Huila
Altitude: 1730 masl
Process: Watermeon Co-fermented Washed
Varietal: Caturra
We taste: Cantelope, Watermelon Candy, Peach
Finca Monteblanco
Finca Monteblanco, located high along the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora in the San Adolfo municipality above Pitalito, is a family farm managed by Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia in the tradition of coffee cultivation that began with his grandfather. Monteblanco’s 18 hectares sit on the crest of a hill, with the wet mill and drying facilities at the top of the farm and slopes of coffee planted below.
In 2002 Rodrigo participated in a local program teaching local children of coffee producers to cup. Before that, he and his family had never considered coffee in terms of cup profile. By learning to differentiate profiles, he and his father and grandfather were able to make the connections between the farming techniques they applied and coffee’s resulting attributes in the cup.
At this time, Rodrigo also began to learn about cupping competitions that evaluate the best lots from farms in a region. He noticed that farms would win one year and then never again, so he decided to investigate how to produce quality coffee consistently. This led him to explore the trees planted on Monteblanco, where he discovered various varieties his grandfather had planted in the 1980’s. One of these varieties is Purple Caturra, a type of Caturra whose cherries ripen to a deep purple color.
Rodrigo is proud that he, his wife Claudia Samboni, farm manager Don Gerardo, and the team that works in the fields and at the mill have reached the goal of achieving consistent quality. Finca Monteblanco produces microlots with each harvest that serve as competition coffees around the world, but the farm also consistently produces containers of delicious coffees that appear year-round on café menus and retail shelves. By applying an ethic of rigorous monitoring, planning, and management at each stage of production and processing, all coffees from Monteblanco showcase their full potential.
Citrullus Nectar “Watermelon” Co-fermented washed
Cherry is selectively handpicked and delivered to the onsite wet mill. Cherry is floated to remove any under or over-ripe coffee. Before processing cherry, Rodrigo combines a mixture of microorganisms such as lactobacillus, saccharomyses and cerevisiae derived from Rodrigo’s Purple Caturra coffee cherries to promote fermentation. Rodrigo also added melon and watermelon juice to this mixture to add additional flavor. Finally, he adds a mixture of molasses and sugar to feed fermentation. The mixture is sealed and fermented for just 8 days. After 8 days, coffee cherries are added to the fruit mixture and fermented for 150 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid in parabolic beds to dry.
In the Cup
We’ve never had a coffee like this before! Right off the bat, before we even grind it, we get that melon scent from the bag. When we first brew it, it smells like cantaloupe and on first sip, it tastes just like biting into a ripe honeydew. The sweetness is like a watermelon candy, hyper-sweet with a watery mouthfeel. As it cools, it becomes more peachy and delicate, with a beautiful syrupy finish that leaves us wanting more. Overall, this coffee is a summer champion - perfect for a beautiful summer morning, or afternoon, or evening, whenever you’re drinking it.