La Loma Whiskey Natural
Rodgrio Sanchez Valencia
At Edison, we’ve had the honor of working with Rodrigo and his team since 2018. He was among the first to use scientific method-based processing practices, offering some of the best specialty coffees we’ve ever tasted. Armed with measurable data and a spirit of discovery, Rodrigo approaches his lots with a scientist’s eye for detail. From Degrees Brix (measuring natural sugar contents) to climate effects on exact harvest times, Rodrigo records every applicable variable imaginable. Achieving consistently high scores year after year, his harvests have become the perfect agricultural canvas for experimentation. His work finds an ideal union of excellent quality, exciting process method exploration, and a heart for impacting positive change at origin.
La Loma Whiskey Natural
The Caturra Bourbon Whiskey Natural is crafted and harvested at Finca La Loma, nestled in Vereda Agua Negra in Pitalito, Huila. Spanning 12 hectares, this picturesque farm is the labor of love for owners Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia and Claudia Samboni. Since 2011, they have been dedicated to cultivating coffee on La Loma, where a variety of coffee treasures flourish, including Caturra, Variedad Colombia, Pink Bourbon, Pacamara, Laurina, and Gesha. The on-site mill boasts essential equipment such as a de-pulper and tanks for dry fermentation.
In 2017, Rodrigo and his team, operating under Aromas del Sur—the overarching company for La Loma, El Progreso, and Monteblanco farms, as well as the Aromas del Sur dry mill (El Puente)—established a cupping lab on La Loma. This facility serves as a hub for sample roasting, crop assessment, and sourcing activities at the origin. La Loma takes pride in spearheading the experimental program for Rodrigo's other farms, contributing to the diversification of their coffee offerings.
The Caturra Bourbon Whiskey Natural Process is a unique blend of Bourbon and Caturra coffee varieties. Cherries are meticulously chosen when they surpass 24 degrees Brix, subjected to flotation, pulping, and then placed in tanks with a carefully prepared starter culture.
The starter culture is a product of combining micro-organisms like lactobacilli and saccharomyces cerevisiae with panela, offering the necessary energy for microbial activity, complemented by small amounts of whiskey. This culture undergoes an 8-day maturation process, requiring approximately 150 hours of fermentation to attain the optimal pH and Brix levels. The matured starter culture is then blended with the remaining coffee cherries inside a 200-liter drum, initiating a 200-hour anaerobic fermentation, ensuring pH remains at a minimum of 4 and Brix degrees between 8 and 10.
Following fermentation, the cherries undergo a drying phase lasting 30 to 35 days, influenced by solar intensity and luminosity. Subsequently, the cherries are sent to a local winery in Pitalito for tasting and verification, confirming that the initial process has imbued the desired notes and characteristic profile into the coffee.
The coffee then rests in the cellar for 20 days before Rodrigo and his team proceed to thresh and transfer the coffee into oak barrels previously used for whiskey production. This 30-day period allows for the osmotic transfer of the wood's aromatic essence acquired over years of fermentation.
This one-of-a-kind experience is a delight for both novice and seasoned coffee enthusiasts, offering a harmonious blend of the best from both worlds.
