Rodrigo Sanchez - Candy Hearts

MEET THE PRODUCER | Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia is a third generation coffee farmer, but his father and grandfather before him never considered the coffee they grew in terms of its cup profile. That is to say, they didn't really know that their farming and processing techniques could have a huge impact on the flavor and quality of the coffees they were producing. That changed in 2002, when Rodrigo participated in a local program that sought to communicate cupping, coffee competitions, and lot-scoring to children of coffee producers. With this newfound understanding and a profound desire to produce high-quality coffee consistently, Rodrigo and his family set off on a mission to re-imagine the work they'd been doing at Finca Monteblanco, and the coffees coming from that farm today are a testament to their rigorous persistence in that endeavor.

TRUST THE PROCESS | This coffee is a 50/50 blend of two co-ferments from Rodrigo Sanchez, labeled “Process  20” and “Process 22”. Both lots use Caturra and Bourbon varieties and the base, selected for high brix concentration in their ripe fruit. The fruit sugars ensure an ideal environment for lactic- and acetic-acid producing microbes, which have been cultivated separately on a base of fruit.

Process 20 uses strawberries, raspberries, and cherries, in addition to herbs like chamomile and mint, to cultivate the microbial culture. The coffee is fermented for 180 hours with these microbes, maintaining Brix levels above six and pH above four to achieve a balanced profile.

Process 22 builds from a base of dehydrated and honeyed bananas, with the mother culture also being fed molasses for optimal activity. Lactobacillus (lactic bacteria) and saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewers yeast) are added, fermenting the mixture for 190 hours. After the coffee harvest, the Caturra and Bourbon fruit receive Brix measurements and are sorted, before 80 liters of the cultured banana solution is added. The coffee ferments for 150 hours,  coffee’s Brix degrees are measured, impurities removed, and 80 liters of the prepared solution added. The coffee ferments for another 150 hours, also maintaining Brix levels above six and pH above four.

TAKE A SIP | So why did we call this coffee Candy Hearts? You guessed it—this coffee has an uncanny likeness to those powdery, sweet, and tangy little treats that crowd the shelves of drugstores across America in the weeks before Valentine's Day. The influence of strawberry and banana collide to put forth a note of pink bubblegum, with raspberry and cherry providing a jammy undertone. Every sip is sweet from start to finish, like powdered sugar hugging your tongue. This coffee is crushable, complex, and endlessly confectionary.

Origin | La Tacora, San Adolfo, Huila, Colombia

Producer | Rodrigo Sanchez

Farm | Finca Monteblanco

Process | Co-ferment

Variety | Caturra, Bourbon

Elevation | 1730 MASL

Produced by Rodrigo Sanchez in the La Tacora region of San Adolfo, Huila, this Caturra lot represents a modern approach to Colombian coffee production. While Caturra is a classic, high-yielding varietal historically favored for its adaptability, this specific release from Black & White Coffee Roasters utilizes a co-ferment process to push the boundaries of the bean's inherent profile. Co-fermentation is an innovative technique where additional ingredients or yeasts are introduced during the processing stage to influence the final cup character, often resulting in vibrant, candy-like sweetness.

Grown at 1730 masl in the Huila department, this coffee showcases the intersection of traditional cultivation and experimental post-harvest methods. When evaluating such distinct profiles, tasters often find it helpful to reference a flavor wheel to identify the specific nuances of the pink bubblegum, raspberry, cherry, and powdered sugar notes reported by the roaster.