Elida Estate - Catual Natural

Perched high in the mist-laced mountains of Vereda La Tocora, within San Adolfo above Pitalito, Finca Monteblanco is a family-run farm helmed by Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia—part of a generational legacy rooted in these hills. Its 18 hectares spill down a ridgeline, with the wet mill and drying beds catching the high light above, coffee trees stretching below.

Hydrangea sources this lot from a farm where curiosity led to transformation. In 2002, Rodrigo joined a local program teaching children of producers how to cup. It was the first time his family approached coffee beyond cultivation—discovering flavour, profile, identity. That turning point reshaped their relationship with the land. Tasting, they began tracing each cup back to a method, a moment, a decision on the farm.

As competitions revealed fleeting wins and inconsistent quality, Rodrigo’s attention turned to stability. Walking Monteblanco, he rediscovered heirloom varieties planted by his grandfather in the 1980s. Among them: Purple Caturra, a striking mutation of Caturra with deep violet cherries, quietly thriving in the shade.

Rodrigo, alongside Claudia Samboni, Don Gerardo, and their dedicated team, has built a system tuned to both precision and patience. Each harvest yields microlots that travel the world, but it’s the reliability—the quiet, year-round excellence—that defines this farm’s character.

Monteblanco adapts. With climate shifts extending harvest windows to nearly ten months, practices have evolved. Coffee is milled at Aromas del Sur, a state-of-the-art dry mill in Pitalito, but the work begins with rigour at origin.

For this lot, cherries are measured for sugar (Brix), floated, and sealed in tanks with 80L of fruit-fermented culture. A 150-hour fermentation follows, closely monitored—never dipping below 6° Brix or a pH of 4. Drying spans 2–3 days in sunlight, then 15–18 days under canopy, aiming for a final humidity of 10–11%.

Tasting Notes: Propitious Mango, Sakeru Gummy, Oolong

Producer - Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia

What is the roast recency?

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 6-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12 - should we have any left in stock!). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.