Rodrigo Sanchez - Green Tea | Colombia

Colombia — Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia Bourbon & Purple Caturra

Tastes Like — 🌿 Lemon Verbena • 🍑 White Peach • 🍵 Green Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia (third-generation)
• Farm: Finca El Edén
• Region: Samaria, Palestina, Huila, Colombia
• Varietals: Bourbon & Purple Caturra
• Process: Co-ferment (Aromatic Herbs & Yeast)
• Altitude: 1500 masl
• Size: 12oz / 340g

INTRO — Green Tea Co-Fermentation from a Quality-Focused Innovator

Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia is a third-generation coffee farmer who's reimagined everything his father and grandfather did before him. Growing up, his family grew coffee without understanding how farming and processing techniques could impact cup profile—they simply didn't know that what they did mattered beyond yield. That changed in 2002 when Rodrigo participated in a local programme teaching children of coffee producers about cupping, coffee competitions, and lot scoring.

This green tea co-ferment exemplifies Rodrigo's transformation from traditional farmer to quality-focused innovator. After 190 hours fermenting a mixture of 10 different yeasts with dehydrated aromatic herbs (chamomile, mint, rosemary) and molasses, followed by 150 hours co-fermenting with coffee cherries, this lot is pleasantly herbal, surprisingly balanced, and remarkably similar to green tea—exactly as Rodrigo intended.

THE PRODUCER — Three Generations, One Transformation

Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia represents the third generation of coffee farmers in his family, but the first to understand coffee as something beyond a commodity crop. His father and grandfather grew coffee for volume and consistency, never considering that their work could influence flavour and quality. They were good farmers producing decent commercial coffee—nothing more, nothing less.

2002 marked the turning point. When Rodrigo participated in a programme teaching young people about cupping and quality assessment, he discovered that coffee could be evaluated, scored, and appreciated in ways his family had never imagined. More importantly, he learned that producers—through cultivation and processing decisions—had enormous control over final cup quality.

Armed with this newfound understanding and a profound desire to produce high-quality coffee consistently, Rodrigo and his family set off to reimagine the work at Finca Monteblanco (now operating as Finca El Edén in some lots). The transformation required changing everything: varietal selection, harvesting protocols, processing techniques, quality control measures. It meant investing in equipment, education, and infrastructure that previous generations never needed.

The coffees coming from Rodrigo's farms today—like this green tea co-ferment and the Purple Caturra Mora Azul lot—are testaments to rigorous persistence in that endeavour. These aren't accidents or lucky experiments. They're the result of over two decades spent learning, refining, and perfecting techniques that allow him to create specific flavour profiles intentionally.

THE PROCESS — 340 Hours of Controlled Co-Fermentation

This is sophisticated fermentation science—the kind that requires both deep knowledge and meticulous execution. Rodrigo's protocol spans nearly two weeks and involves multiple stages, each carefully controlled:

• 🍒 Peak Ripeness Harvesting — Only fully ripe cherries handpicked
• 🌊 Flotation & Hand Sorting — Cherries floated and hand-sorted for quality
• ⚙️ Pulping — Cherries depulped to expose mucilage-covered parchment
• 🔬 Yeast & Herb Culture Development (190 hours) — 10 different yeasts combined with dehydrated chamomile, mint, and rosemary, plus molasses, sealed for fermentation
• 🍒 Coffee Addition (150 hours) — Pulped cherries added to the developed culture for extended co-fermentation
• 💧 Washing — Coffee washed clean after fermentation
• ☀️ Parabolic Bed Drying — Coffee spread on raised parabolic beds, raked regularly for even drying

The 190-hour culture development is where the magic begins. By fermenting the yeast-herb-molasses mixture before adding coffee, Rodrigo creates a specific microbial environment with established flavour compounds. When coffee is added, it ferments in this pre-developed culture rather than creating its own fermentation from scratch. The dehydrated herbs (chamomile, mint, rosemary) contribute aromatic compounds that integrate with the coffee during the additional 150 hours of co-fermentation.

The parabolic bed design aids drying by creating airflow patterns that promote even moisture removal. Regular raking prevents uneven drying spots and ensures the developed aromatics are preserved rather than degraded.

This entire 340-hour process requires constant monitoring. Temperature fluctuations, pH changes, or timing errors could produce defects instead of the intended green tea character. Rodrigo's success demonstrates mastery of fermentation science.

THE VARIETALS — Bourbon & Purple Caturra Blend

This lot combines two varietals: Bourbon and Purple Caturra. Bourbon brings classic sweetness and body—that honeyed, syrupy character the variety is known for. Purple Caturra contributes vibrant acidity and fruit-forward characteristics, along with the distinctive anthocyanin pigments that give it the purple colour.

Blending varieties within a co-fermentation lot is strategic. Different varieties have different sugar compositions, pH levels, and enzyme activities. When fermented together, they create more complex flavour development than single-variety lots. The Bourbon's sweetness provides a foundation (evident in the floral honey notes), whilst Purple Caturra's brightness contributes to the lemon verbena and white peach character.

The choice to co-ferment multiple varieties also demonstrates Rodrigo's confidence. Managing fermentation with one variety is challenging enough; combining two adds complexity. But when executed well—as this lot proves—the results showcase more dimension than single-variety coffees typically achieve.

THE CUP — Remarkably Green Tea-Like Experience

This co-fermentation experiment showcases coffee variety in a way few such endeavours do. Rather than overwhelming the coffee's natural characteristics with fermentation-derived flavours, Rodrigo has created something pleasantly herbal and surprisingly balanced. The entire experience—aromatics, mouthfeel, flavour—is remarkably similar to green tea, exactly as intended.

Flavour Notes

• 🌿 Lemon Verbena — aromatic, citrusy, herbal character providing the primary impression
• 🍑 White Peach — delicate stone fruit sweetness nodding to the Bourbon and Purple Caturra genetics
• 🍵 Green Tea — the overall sipping experience mirrors quality green tea
• 🍯 Floral Honey — sweetness reminiscent of honey infused with flowers

The lemon verbena character dominates the aromatics—it's distinctly herbal and citrusy, likely contributed by the mint and rosemary in the fermentation culture. White peach provides subtle stone fruit sweetness that anchors the profile, reminding you that despite the tea-like qualities, this is still coffee expressing its varietal characteristics. The green tea similarity is uncanny—there's a delicacy to the mouthfeel, a pleasant astringency to the finish, an aromatic quality that genuinely recalls quality green tea. Floral honey sweetness weaves throughout, providing cohesion and preventing the herbal notes from becoming one-dimensional.

The balance is particularly impressive. Co-ferments this complex often tip into overwhelming territory, but Rodrigo has calibrated everything perfectly. The herbs enhance rather than dominate, the varietals express alongside the fermentation, and the result is cohesive rather than disjointed.

This lot demonstrates what two decades of quality-focused learning can achieve. Rodrigo Sánchez Valencia has transformed from a third-generation farmer who didn't understand cup profile into a producer creating intentional, sophisticated co-fermentations that deliver specific flavour experiences. This green tea coffee proves that with knowledge, persistence, and rigorous attention to detail, coffee can become almost anything you envision.

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.