Colombia - Salado Blanco

Tastes like: Complex, funky with plum, smooth and creamy, sweet peppery body feel
Location: Huila, Colombia
Farm: Casa Salado Blanco
Producer: Wilber Gomez
Altitude: 1720 masl
Varieties: Pacamara 
Process: Red honey

THE CONTEXT

Coffee has long been part of the local identity and daily life of the Salado Blanco coffee-growing community in the Huila area of Colombia, which is deeply rooted in tradition. While it has historically focused on commercial coffee production, the community has evolved progressively towards specialty coffee. It has done this through shared learning, improving its processing practices and making a collective commitment to quality.

The Salado Blanco Community project brings together producers around common standards, transparent processes and a vision that values quality and social impact. This coffee is the result of this collaborative approach, with each producer contributing to a shared expression of origin.

THE COFFEE

Selective harvesting is used to ensure that only ripe cherries are included in the lot, ensuring sweetness and balance in the cup. A red honey process, also known as semi washed, is used to pulp the cherry while retaining part of the flesh of the fruit, or mucilage, to enhance sweetness and texture.

Controlled fermentation then takes place, with careful management to develop complexity while maintaining clarity and structure.

The coffee is then lightly washed before being dried under controlled conditions allowing sugars to stabilise and flavours to integrate in harmony.

This process bridges clarity and sweetness, highlighting the structure of the Pacamara beans while preserving a soft, approachable profile.