Freak & Unique XXI - Colombia, Monte Blanco

PRODUCER: Monte Blanco

FARM : Campo Hermoso REGION : Palestina, Huila ALTITUDE  : 1750 MASL VARIETAL  : Bourbon, Caturra PROCESS  : 190 hour Citrullus Nectar Coferment FLAVOUR NOTES : Watermelon, Stewed Peach, Fruit Salad

Perched high above Pitalito in the hills of Vereda La Tocora, Finca Monte Blanco is the life’s work of producer Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia and his family. The 18-hectare farm sits on the crest of a mountain ridge, with coffee planted down the surrounding slopes and the wet mill and drying facilities positioned at the highest point of the farm.

Coffee has been cultivated here for generations, first by Rodrigo’s grandfather and later by his father. Yet it was not until 2002, when Rodrigo took part in a local cupping programme for the children of coffee producers, that the family began to understand coffee through the lens of flavour and quality. Learning to evaluate coffee in the cup transformed their approach to production, helping them connect decisions made in the field with the resulting character of the coffee.

Driven by a desire to produce exceptional coffees year after year, Rodrigo began exploring the different varieties growing across the farm. Among them was Purple Caturra, a rare selection planted by his grandfather in the 1980s, recognised by its deep purple cherries and distinctive cup profile. Today, Monte Blanco has become one of Colombia’s most celebrated producers of experimental and competition-level coffees, while maintaining an unwavering commitment to quality across all of its production.

Rodrigo works alongside his wife Claudia Samboni, farm manager Don Gerardo and a dedicated team who oversee every stage of cultivation and processing. Through meticulous planning, monitoring and innovation, Monte Blanco consistently produces coffees that showcase both clarity and complexity.

This lot is processed using an extended fermentation method incorporating citrillus fruit nectar, including watermelon and melon, alongside lactobacillus and saccharomyces cerevisiae (brewer’s yeast). The process is designed to enhance natural sweetness and elevate Brix levels, resulting in a complex and expressive cup profile.

Cherries ferment for 190 hours before being depulped, thoroughly washed and dried on parabolic beds for 10–15 days. Grown in Palestina, southern Huila, this coffee benefits from a distinctive microclimate within one of Colombia’s most dynamic producing regions. Palestina sits within the country’s newer coffee-growing axis, where elevation, climate and soil conditions support a wide range of varieties including Pink Bourbon, Java, Chiroso, Gesha, Caturra, Colombia and Castillo. This diversity reflects both the region’s potential and the expertise of its growers, who manage each stage of production with precision to maintain quality and consistency.

Monte Blanco's experimental offering showcases the creative potential of extended fermentation in Colombian coffee. This Bourbon and Caturra blend from Palestina, Huila undergoes a distinctive 190-hour Citrullus Nectar coferment—a specialized processing method designed to amplify fruit-forward aromatics. The result emphasizes juicy, dessert-like qualities: watermelon and stewed peach with a mixed fruit character that recalls a fruit salad. These flavor profiles suggest how extended fermentation can intensify the natural sweetness and fruit complexity inherent in this origin, pushing beyond conventional approaches to processing.