Colombia | Ombligon, Nestor Lasso, Decaf

This coffee lot is processed using thermal shock with a triple-stage fermentation to boost the overall complexity that the Ombligon variety delivers. It’s decaffeinated using a sugarcane method, which, combined with thermal shock, results in a complex and funky cup profile with a long aftertaste.

Region – Huila

Nestled between the Eastern and Central mountain ranges, the Huila region is blessed with ideal conditions for growing coffee. Daily temperatures range from 13 to 22 degrees Celsius, and the coffee trees thrive between 1,200 and 1,800 metres above sea level. The soil is rich in volcanic minerals thanks to the Nevado del Huila volcano, which supplies essential nutrients to the plants. The high altitude and cool nights help the cherries ripen slowly, developing deeper sweetness and more defined acidity. Farmers in the region often grow varieties such as Caturra, Castillo, and Bourbon, and most rely on careful hand-picking to select only the ripest cherries.

Coffees from Huila often show bright acidity, gentle fruit notes, and a rounded, balanced cup profile. And with experimental processes growing in popularity, this region is highly prized as a source of award-winning lots, new varieties, and innovative processing methods that result in mind-blowing cup profiles.

Coffee Producer

The coffee is grown and produced by Nestor Lasso on his El Diviso farm, covering 18 hectares, 15 of which are dedicated to coffee trees and 2 to Colombian tropical forest. The farm’s Colombian-Spanish name, “El Diviso,” translates to “gaze”, and it was established in 1996 by Nestor’s father. Nestor and his family cultivate diverse coffee tree varieties on their farm, including Caturra, Tabi, Caturra Chiroso, Geisha, Sidra, Java, Pacamara, and various Bourbon varieties.

Nestor is widely recognized in the specialty coffee industry, as he has produced spectacular lots that have even won world-class championships. The key elements for Nestor’s success are curiosity, a drive to improve quality and the development and maintenance of quality protocols in the farm. It’s no wonder we have his lot for the second time, as the farmer shares the same ideology as we do at Rocket Bean Roastery.

Ombligon Variety

Ombligon is a natural mutation that occurred in Colombia. It is challenging to determine from which varieties it mutated, but its specifics are similar to well-known varieties such as Caturra, Castillo, and Bourbon. This variety is classified as rare, as the farmer states it is exclusively grown in the Huila region. The name “Ombligon,” in Colombian-Spanish, means “belly button,” given due to the unique round form of cherries that this variety exhibits.

Processing

Cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, inspected, sorted, and floated to remove defects. Then, cherries undergo 40 hours of oxidation in plastic tanks, followed by 40 hours of anaerobic fermentation at 17–20 °C in sealed tanks to develop complex flavours. During this stage, leachates—the liquid byproducts from fermentation—are collected and reused to enhance flavour later on. The beans then go through 28 hours of submerged fermentation with continuous recirculation in collected leachate. Finally, a thermal shock method at 65–70 °C is used to halt fermentation and lock in the developed flavours. Finally, the beans are slowly dried in stainless-steel dehumidifiers in a dark, airtight room. Temperatures never exceed 37 °C, and drying continues until the beans reach 10–11% moisture content, preserving their delicate aromatics and quality.