Finca Monteblanco / Colombia – Reserve Series

Our second of three offerings from the great Rodrigo Sánchez this year features the Purple Caturra varietal grown on his Monteblanco farm. A natural mutation of the standard red caturra, the purple caturra coffee plant has leaves that are darker in hue and its cherries express their peak ripeness by turning a deep plum color rather than the bright red that most coffee cherries turn when they are ready to be picked. 

However, the difference is not just as superficial as the outer color. Purple caturra is a relatively rare variety but is highly sought after due to having a higher percentage of sugar content in the cherries than standard red caturra. The higher sugar content measured in Brix makes it a perfect candidate for natural processing at Monteblanco. Rodrigo’s team is specifically measuring their harvested coffee cherries looking for high Brix readings because these sugars help accelerate the fermentation process and with more fermentation often comes more flavor complexity. After the cherries are measured and sorted, they are set out to dry in the sun for six days before being moved to dry under shaded canopies for another 20-23 days.

Coffee Profile

Coffee Bio

The result of all this diligent harvesting and processing is a coffee with a wild and dynamic flavor profile. Primarily, it has a rich, heavy mouthfeel, syrupy like a black cherry cola with a touch of tropical fruit and a toffee backbone that balances it all out. As it cools, we continue to find new flavors of vanilla, cabernet, and a hint of baking spices.