If you have a soft spot for sweet, distinctly fruity coffees, this Colombian treat from Sprout Coffee Roasters will fulfill all your hopes. Ombligon from the El Diviso farm tastes like a handful of tart jelly candies mixed with juicy rhubarb and fresh kiwi. The pronounced sweetness holds the entire profile together, while a slightly alcoholic character adds boldness and unexpected depth. The finish leaves a long, candy-like trail reminiscent of gummy worms. The Dutch roaster Sprout has a knack for coffees like this. They strive to honor the producers’ hard work while bringing out the unique character of each bean to the fullest.
Ombligon is one of the less common and flavor-intensive varieties that you don’t come across every day in specialty coffee. This lot was grown by Nestor and Adrian Lasso on their family farm, Finca El Diviso, near the city of Pitalito in Colombia’s Huila region. The coffee trees here grow at an elevation of 1,750 to 1,850 meters, nestled among green mountains and in soil rich in volcanic minerals. The high elevation, favorable climate, and the Lasso family’s meticulous work help produce slowly ripening cherries with concentrated sweetness. Nestor builds on his family’s experience, but he also enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional cultivation and seeking new ways to develop the flavor potential of unusual varieties through fermentation and drying.
The coffee was processed using an experimental natural method, in which the beans are dried inside whole coffee cherries. Prolonged contact with the skin and pulp, combined with ongoing fermentation, enhances the distinctive fruitiness, intense sweetness, and slightly wild character of the resulting cup. At El Diviso, however, they do not view natural processing as a single, fixed recipe. Nestor and his family are constantly refining the fermentation and drying processes, combining experience passed down through generations with a more precise, almost scientific approach. The result is a juicy and untamed coffee in which rhubarb-like acidity, kiwi, and candy-like sweetness come together in a profile that is truly unforgettable.