Colombia Monteblanco Watermelon

Region: Huila, Colombia
Producer: Finca Monteblanco
Varietal: Caturra & Catuai
Process: Watermelon Yeast Fermented Washed
Altitude: 1,860 masl
Taste Note: Watermelon, Passion fruit, Honeydew, ice cream, fruit sugar
Brewing method: Best as pour over (V60, Origami, Kalita), also works well as modern espresso

Roaster Note

This Monteblanco presents a playful combination of juicy watermelon and tropical passion fruit, balanced by a delicate honeydew freshness. Beneath the fruit is a soft, creamy sweetness reminiscent of ice cream, giving the cup a smooth and indulgent character. The finish carries a lingering fruit-sugar sweetness, making the coffee feel vibrant, refreshing and distinctly dessert-like.

Bean info

Finca Monteblanco, managed by Colombian producer Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia, is located in Huila and is known for its experimental approach to coffee varieties and post-harvest processing. Rodrigo's philosophy is particularly interesting because he treats fermentation as a tool for developing the coffee's natural characteristics rather than simply applying conventional processing methods.

Monteblanco grows a range of varieties and has become especially well known for its Caturra and other specialty cultivars. Caturra and Bourbon are particularly suitable for Rodrigo's experimental fruit fermentation because of their relatively high sugar content and ability to respond strongly to controlled fermentation. Your particular lot is specified as a Caturra and Catuai selection.

Watermelon Yeast Fermentation

What makes this lot unusual is the watermelon-based fermentation. Monteblanco develops fermentation cultures using selected microorganisms, including yeast and lactic-acid bacteria, before introducing the coffee cherries into the fermentation environment. Research on Monteblanco's fruit-processing approach describes fruit juice being used as a fermentation medium, with watermelon and other melon-family fruits among the ingredients used for particular lots.

The fermentation is carefully controlled through parameters such as Brix and pH, allowing the producer to determine when the fermentation has reached its desired endpoint. After fermentation, the coffee goes through a washed-style process, including removal of the fruit and mucilage before drying.

This is important because the process isn't simply a natural coffee dried together with watermelon. The coffee is ultimately washed, giving it considerably more clarity, while the controlled fruit-and-yeast fermentation contributes additional aromatic complexity.

The result is a fascinating combination of fruit-driven aromatics and washed-coffee clarity. Other Monteblanco watermelon-fermented lots have been described with watermelon, passion fruit, banana, white peach and watermelon-candy characteristics, demonstrating how strongly this processing style can influence the sensory profile.

At 1,860 masl, this lot is also considerably higher grown than many conventional Huila coffees. The high elevation and cooler growing environment provide favourable conditions for slower cherry maturation and concentrated sweetness.

Why It's Special

For me, the interesting story behind this coffee isn't simply "watermelon-flavoured coffee." It is the combination of high-altitude Huila Caturra/Catuai, Rodrigo Sánchez's fermentation experimentation, watermelon-based fermentation, selected yeast cultures and a final washed process.

That gives the coffee a very unusual positioning: fruit-driven and experimental, but still clean and structured enough to retain the character of a washed coffee.