Origin: Colombia
Farm: Finca San Fernando
Varietal: Geisha
Altitude: 1800 MASL
Certification: Micro-Lot
Process: 36HR Washed
Cup Score: 88
Orange Blossom, Rose & Sweet Florals
Need there be more said about Geisha?
For the last 10 years or so, the Geisha varietal has been in a league of its own - breaking auction price per/kg records and generally creating a status as the ‘champagne’ of coffee.
Lot
This particular 100% Geisha lot is a wonderful showcase of what a high-scoring washed Geisha is.
Firstly, this lot was meticulously picked over 18 days with only the ripest cherries being selected with high degrees of BRIX’s.
A floating process is then completed to separate anything under ripe or immature.
Cherries are then placed in sealed bags for an additional 12 hours to extend fermentation.
Afterwards they’re then pulped and a dry fermentation of 24 hours takes place - this adds complexity and partly breaks down the mucilage.
The coffee is then again washed and cleaned for immaturities.
Finally, the beans are dried in a mechanical silo for between 8 to 16 hours at 35 degrees celsius, this ensures uniform drying.
Producer
Lina Clemencia Londoño is a 60 years old grandma who has spent her entire life around coffee at Finca San Fernando.
Siruma, a coffee buying group in Colombia, have known Lina for a number of years from being involved in coffee in the same area and have encouraged her to produce high-end speciality lots, as they have shown the potential that Caldas has as a region for cultivation of these specific varietals.
So in the last few years she has begun focusing on exotic varietals and working on specific processing to improve quality and consistency.
The farm, Finca San Fernando, is located at 1800 MASL and is 18 Hectares in size and Lina now cultivates Colombia, Geisha, Pink Bourbon, Sudan Rume, Castillo and Laurina there!
Varietal
With more & more knowledge of how to better cultivate other delicate // rare varietals such as Pink & Orange Bourbon, Sudan Rume and Sidra, farmers are able to use this to produce fantastic Geisha lots still utilising traditional washed processing which allows Geisha’s famous floral & sweet profile to shine - this lot showcases exactly that.
Geisha is the most consistent high quality coffee varietal produced over the last 2 decades.
Originally a wild plant of Ethiopia first identified in the 1930’s before being brought over firstly to Costa Rica in the 50’s.
In 2019 a Geisha lot sold for £742 per pound (around 450g)! At the time a new world record.
The Geisha varietal is particularly special due to it being difficult to produce consistently. It’s susceptible to many diseases, has an incredibly low yield compared to Bourbon or Typica, and grows long and slender which means it’s easily harboured by harsh weather - which, unfortunately is becoming more and more common as the climate changes.
The characteristics of each Geisha lot are representative of the terroir and conditions, as the most ‘hyped’ varietal the scope of Geisha is huge, though mostly produced in Ethiopia, Costa Rica and Panama, farmers in Peru and even India are experimenting with Geisha production - of varying levels of quality however.