Country: Colombia

Region: Huila

Farm: Monteblanco

Producer: Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia

Process: Mango Co-fermented Washed

Variety: Purple Caturra

Elevation: 1730 meters above sea level

Tasting Notes: Caramel, dried mango, peach

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 wetmill and drying facilities at the top and slopes of coffee planted below. 

This lot of Purple Caturra underwent a co-fermentation washed method with mango fruit juices, enhancing the coffee’s natural sweetness and high Brix levels to develop a rich and nuanced profile.  

This Mango Co-fermentation begins by creating a mother culture from the lactobacillus and saccharomyces cerevisiae microorganisms derived from the coffee cherries, and is fed with sugar, molasses, and then added ingredients of 50% fresh mango and 50% caramelized mango to intensify the flavor notes. This fruit mixture contributes flavor to the culture while the sweetener energizes the fermentation bringing the culture’s sugar content to a level that matches the pH and Brix degrees of the coffee that will be processed. This initial stage takes about 8 days (190 hours). 

Next, harvested coffee cherries are cleaned and tested for Brix levels. The coffee is then placed in 200-liter sealed tanks with 80 liters of the fruit-fermented culture. The coffee ferments for 180 hours, while the team at Aromas del Sur monitor the process to ensure the coffee maintains Brix levels above 6 and pH above 4. This balance highlights fruit notes without overpowering the coffee’s natural flavor, resulting in a harmonious blend that preserves the coffee’s base character.