Colombia El Diviso - Ombligon - Anaerobic Natural

Country: Colombia
Region: Huila - Pitalito
Farm: El Diviso
Producer: Nestor Lasso
Variety: Ombligón
Elevation: 1,700 - 1,850 m.a.s.l.
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Harvest: 2024-2025

PRODUCER’S AND FARM Nestor Lasso is a third-generation coffee producer from Huila, Colombia, who, alongside his brother Adrian, has redefined the family business by prioritizing quality over quantity. At just 25 years old, he is part of a new generation of coffee producers embracing innovation and sustainability. Five years ago, Nestor and Adrian took full responsibility for their family’s 14-hectare farm, shifting their focus to producing micro-lots and refining post-harvest processes. Their commitment to excellence has earned their coffees recognition in competitions worldwide, with their lots featured in the World Barista Championship (WBC) and Brewers Cup competitions, reinforcing their reputation for exceptional quality. Beyond their own farm, Nestor and Adrian have partnered with fellow producer Jhoan Vergara to establish Finca El Diviso, a collaborative project dedicated to cultivating exceptional, high-scoring coffees. Located in Pitalito, the farm offers ideal conditions for growing specialty coffee. Their innovative approach to processing includes extended fermentations and precise control of post-harvest techniques, such as the double anaerobic fermentation used in their award-winning Sidra lot. For Nestor, coffee is more than a livelihood; it’s a path to a sustainable future. His passion for experimentation and learning, combined with a deep respect for coffee’s complexity, has allowed him to transform not only his family’s farm but also perceptions of coffee farming as a viable and respected profession. By embracing specialty coffee, Nestor and his peers are proving that dedication to quality can create meaningful opportunities for young producers and elevate Colombian coffee on the global stage. Finca El Diviso, led by Néstor Lasso in Huila, Colombia, has gained international recognition for its innovative approach to coffee processing and commitment to quality. The farm has been featured in the Cup of Excellence Colombia North 2019 auction, and its coffees have been used in international barista championships, including the 2024 World Barista Championship in Chicago, where a lot of the Ombligón variety contributed to a 3rd place finish. Néstor has also been nominated as “Most Notable Producer” in the Sprudgie Awards, highlighting his reputation as one of Colombia’s most forward-thinking and consistent coffee producers.

PROCESS DESCRIPTION This lot underwent a Natural Anaerobic process, beginning with the careful selection of cherries at optimal ripeness, measured between 21–24° Brix. After harvest, the cherries were placed in open plastic tanks and left to oxidize for 48 hours, during which the coffee must (the juice naturally released from the fruit) was constantly recirculated and monitored to maintain ideal fermentation conditions, around 19° Brix and a pH above 5. Once oxidation was complete, the cherries were submerged in cold water to separate any floating or underdeveloped fruit, ensuring only dense, fully ripe cherries continued in the process. They were then rinsed with water at 50°C, a controlled thermal shock step that helps loosen the molecular structure of the fruit and initiate a more active fermentation phase. Finally, the cherries were transferred to airtight plastic tanks, where they continued anaerobic fermentation, in a fully oxygen-free environment, allowing complex microbial activity to develop unique flavor characteristics before being dried in their full fruit form.

REGION The Colombian Department of Huila is located in the southern portion of the country where the Central and Eastern ranges of the Andes mountains converge. Huila’s capitol city of Neiva is dry, flat, and desert-like, markedly different from the coffee regions further south. Centered around the city of Pitalito, Huila’s coffee farms are predominately smallholder owned and over the past ten years have made consorted efforts to produce specialty coffee that reveals the full character of the region’s terroir. Selective manual harvesting, attentive processing, and careful post-harvest sorting all contribute to increasing recognition of the region. Huila’s Departmental coffee committee, the local connection to the national Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, has invested notable resources into training producers in everything from fertilization to roasting. This, combined with producer enthusiasm, has created a regional culture of quality-focused production. Huila holds important historic significance dating back to pre-Columbian cultures. The archeological site at San Augustin includes many stone carvings, figures, and artifacts that offer a rare glimpse into the land’s past prior to colonialism.