This Gesha variety, selected from our coffee hunter and Espresso Academy trainer, Helena Oliviero is the latest arrival of the Caffèlab line!
One of the missions and philosophies of Mokaflor is to only source coffees with a high quality, transparent traceability and from plantations that are in line with sustainability, fair trade and organic practices.
Therefore we are very proud to present you a very special new arrival! Not only is this coffee one of a variety which is among the best in the world. This specialty coffee was discovered or “hunted” by our Espresso Academy trainer Helena Oliviero, one of the most well-known women in coffee and expert.
The Gesha Coffee variety
The Gesha coffee was first discovered by the British Consul Richard Whalley already in 1930 in Ethiopia, precisely in the Gori Gesha Forest. The international coffee scene didn’t properly come across this special variety only until 2004, when this coffee astonished the international jury of the Best coffee of Panama, by Finca La Esmeralda.
Although the coffee was grown in Panama, the experts could clearly identify this coffee variety to be an Ethiopian one. Apparently, around the ’50s it was brought from Ethiopia to the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica and then introduced to Panama by a government official who was looking for new coffee varieties to introduce in the country.
Nowadays the Gesha variety is considered to be one of the best because of its very high cupping scores (usually around 90 points). With its delicate and fruity aromas it usually also presents aromas of jasmine, bergamot, honey suckle and other exquisite aftertastes.
Specialty Coffee from Colombia
This micro-lot of coffee comes from a plantation of just 3 hectares located in the Colombian region of Alta China. Here 15,000 coffee plants of this Gesha variety are grown. The Finca Palma Roja is also surrounded by avocado, banana, cassava, and pineapple trees.
The Finca Palma Roja was founded in 1995 by Benedicto Ponti Vásquez and Marghod González, and over the years three of their children have also dedicated themselves to the cultivation of coffee: Benedicto Júnior, María Elena and Hugo Fernando Ponti.
The Gesha coffee processing
This exceptional batch of Gesha variety is processed with a method that gives the coffee very interesting aromatic notes. In fact, after the harvest which is done with a selective picking, the cherries are fermented in bags for 20 hours. After being de-pulped, the fermentation continues in water tanks for other 24 hours. Finally, the parchments are dried on raised beds inside solar dryers.
In the cup we find delicate notes of orange blossom, lemon peel, honey and milk chocolate.
The cupping, which is done following the SCA’s (Specialty Coffee Association) protocol, this coffee obtained a score of 89 points.
We have decided to roast this coffee only with a lighter roasting profile, suitable for filter extractions, in order not to compromise the delicate and special aromatic notes of the Gesha variety.
