Venezuela Monte Claro Honey, 8oz

Our Venezuela Monte Claro Honey premium micro lot coffee is from Venezuela’s Andean highlands is a vivid expression of place, innovation, and resilience. Grown at Finca Berlín, one of the farms owned by Alfredo Rojas, this coffee delivers a cup that is both deeply nostalgic and boldly modern. In the cup, expect fresh coffee cherry and dried cascara, layered with mellow cocoa, warm baking spices, and a boozy, wine-like acidity. A gentle fruit sweetness rounds out the profile, while anaerobic fermentation amplifies intensity, body, and aromatic depth, creating a cup that feels indulgent yet balanced.

Finca Berlín is located in the Junín municipality near Rubio, in Venezuela’s Táchira State, bordering Colombia. The farm spans 8 hectares with 45,000 coffee trees, shaded naturally by Guamo and banana trees. Once abandoned, the land dates back to the late 1800s when German families cultivated coffee for export to Europe. Alfredo Rojas undertook the challenge of restoring Berlín into a specialty farm, an effort that has paid off with award-winning results, including top scores at the EICEV (Encuentro Internacional de Cafés de Especialidad Venezolanos) Venezuelan coffee competition.

Alfredo’s relationship with coffee is deeply personal. Raised on a coffee farm by his grandparents, he combines generational knowledge with a forward-thinking with an entrepreneurial mindset. Though trained as a lawyer, he now runs farms, he sells Monte Claro seeds to other producers, and operates a coffee shop and roastery in Caracas, Venezuela. His farms prioritize intercropping, on-site processing, and chemical-free weed management, with the goal of improving quality and yield while minimizing environmental impact.

This coffee is processed using intentional anaerobic fermentation, where freshly harvested cherries are sealed in oxygen-free containers to influence flavor development. The result is a more expressive cup, often marked by heightened fruit character, lively acidity, and a slightly fuller body.

The variety, Monte Claro, is a Venezuelan-developed cross of Timor Hybrid (Sarchimor) and Villa Sarchi, released to farmers in 2013 after decades of research. Highly resistant to rust and well adapted to Venezuela’s climate, Monte Claro is prized not only for productivity and resilience, but also for cup quality, especially at higher elevations. Its ability to reproduce from farm-saved seed makes it a cornerstone of self-sustainability for Venezuela’s coffee future.

These micro lot coffees represent a new wave of Venezuelan specialty coffee, emerging despite years of economic hardship and limited global visibility. First connected through a producer competition judged by green buyer Piero in 2023, these coffees signal a hopeful revival, rooted in history, driven by innovation, and defined by quality.

This is not just a rare origin. It’s a statement cup.

Region: Táchira State

Producer: Alfredo Rojas

Altitude: 1100 MASL

Variety: Monte Claro

Harvest Period: September to January

Processing: Honey Process

Country: Venezuela