Colombia - Mango

Tasting notes: Mango

Why we like it

We like it because it represents a perfect fusion of tradition and experimentation. It has the base of a clean and shiny washed coffee, and on the other hand the directed fermentation with mango adds not only flavor but also structural complexity and natural sweetness.

In the cup, it expresses juiciness, lively acidity, and enveloping tropical notes, without losing clarity or balance. It's an expressive coffee that sparks curiosity from the first sip and leaves a lasting impression.

If you're interested in investigating, we explain the process in detail below.

History

Finca Monteblanco is located in the municipality of Acevedo, in the jurisdiction of San Adolfo, in the La Tocora area, at an altitude of 1,730 meters above sea level. Its surroundings include the Cueva de Los Guácharos National Natural Park, one of the 59 protected areas within Colombia's National Natural Park System. Its proximity to the Suaza River Valley provides a natural connection to the surroundings and all it offers.

Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia is a third-generation coffee farmer at Finca Monteblanco.
His grandfather began growing coffee there several decades ago, and today, Rodrigo works to preserve the farm's natural diversity and productivity.

Monteblanco's 14 hectares provide ideal conditions for growing diverse coffee varieties, including Geisha, Bourbon Rosado, Pacamara, Caturra Púrpura, Caturra Rojo, and others. These physical and sensorial conditions have resulted in unique profiles that have earned worldwide recognition and been well received by the most exclusive coffee markets.

Monteblanco experiences an average temperature ranging between 16 and 22 degrees Celsius, with 1,700 hours of sunlight per year, making it ideal for coffee cultivation. The farm features parabolic and shade-rotating drying, extensive washing facilities, wet processing with pulping and fermentation, as well as a chiller that ensures stable temperatures of 10 to 14 degrees Celsius for cold fermentation.

As they themselves state, their goal is to be a sustainable company that leaves its mark on the history of the coffee world. They aspire to break down barriers and limitations, which is why they allow themselves to experiment with new ways of processing coffee:

"The fermentation process remains mysterious territory for us, but observing how the microorganisms, yeasts, enzymes, and everything else that happens at each step is truly impressive. This shows how, as producers, we can maximize our advantages, making the coffee industry remember us for what we have achieved and will continue to achieve with this bean, aspiring to be a benchmark for future generations and leaving a legacy full of curiosity and happiness in discovering the magic of coffee."

Variety and process

Before starting the processing, Rodrigo prepares a fermentation mixture composed of 10 different types of yeast, including Lactobacillus, Saccharomyces and Cerevisiae.

To this mixture he adds mango, in order to provide additional fruity notes, and a sugar-rich ingredient (such as molasses, panela or granulated sugar) to feed the fermentation process. This preparation is sealed and fermented for 8 days.

Once harvested, the cherries are pulped and the beans are added to the fermented mixture. There, the coffee continues its fermentation for 180 hours, that is, approximately 7 and a half days.

After fermentation, the parchment coffee is washed with clean water and dried in parabolic beds. While drying, it is stirred frequently to ensure uniform dehydration. The drying process lasts between 20 and 25 days, depending on environmental conditions.

For this process, Purple Caturra was chosen due to its high sugar content, which allows the microorganisms to have an optimal area to work.

This co-fermentation process achieves a balance that highlights the fruit notes without overpowering the flavor and overshadowing the coffee.

Recipe

For filter:

We use 18 grams of ground coffee and 320 grams of final water at 92°C, in a total time of 2'15" / 2'30". We make five pours:

Pouring 50g of water in 30"

Pouring 110 gr of water up to 1'

Pouring 170 gr of water up to 1'25"

Pouring 270 gr of water up to 1'35"

Pouring 320 gr of water up to 2'35"

EXPERIMENTATION VARIABLES

Rest: 2 weeks (15-20 days)

Method: V60

Mill: EK43

Water: Pentair Everpure 70ppm