Colombia Santa Barbara Anaerobic Gesha (washed)
Price range: $27.00 through $110.00
This coffee comes from Finca Santa Barbara in Buenavista, in the department of Huila in central Colombia. It’s a relatively large farm of 30 hectares sitting at extremely high altitude–2000 meters–where Jhon Samboni produces high quality, varietal-specific lots.
From what we can gather, most of his anaerobic fermentations take place in sealed containers for up to 70 hours. Even though this lot underwent anaerobic primary fermentation, it was processed with a very light touch, as we don’t detect any of the cacao/fudge components that often result from these kinds of fermentations. Indeed, with most anaerobics that we’ve had in house, the raw beans themselves often smell like chocolate sauce. But this “green” (as we call it in the roastery) has a lightly fruited and floral character.
In the cup, look for a clean and fragrant experience. The coffee has a sweet caramel base, with lightly fruited and toasty aromatics. I’m sitting here with a cup of batch brew fresh out of the roaster (we generally wait a day or two to decide on tasting notes, but it’s gesha, so I want to drink it!), and I’m getting really interesting green tea flavors–something akin to genmaicha (japanese bancha with toasted rice added). It’s a little bit grassy or saline and seaweedy, with a bit of a toasted note as well. It’s really attractive in a sophisticated way). There is meyer lemon acidity and flavor, and lightly fruited accents akin to watermelon juice. You might compare the fruit to the experience of smelling the crumbs you find at the bottom of a box of Fruity Pebbles or Fruit Loops cereal. It’s not fleshy, but almost dusty and ethereal in its expression.
Gesha has always been a coffee for adults: that is, a coffee of nuance and subtlety. There is nothing over the top here. But it is complex and interesting and delicious. A coffee to sit and think about. Or just guzzle.
- Location: Buenavista, Huila
- Elevation: 2050 MASL
- Varietal: gesha
- Process: anaerobic ferment, washed, dried on raised beds
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
This coffee comes from Finca Santa Barbara in Buenavista, in the department of Huila in central Colombia. It’s a relatively large farm of 30 hectares sitting at extremely high altitude–2000 meters–where Jhon Samboni produces high quality, varietal-specific lots.
From what we can gather, most of his anaerobic fermentations take place in sealed containers for up to 70 hours. Even though this lot underwent anaerobic primary fermentation, it was processed with a very light touch, as we don’t detect any of the cacao/fudge components that often result from these kinds of fermentations. Indeed, with most anaerobics that we’ve had in house, the raw beans themselves often smell like chocolate sauce. But this “green” (as we call it in the roastery) has a lightly fruited and floral character.
In the cup, look for a clean and fragrant experience. The coffee has a sweet caramel base, with lightly fruited and toasty aromatics. I’m sitting here with a cup of batch brew fresh out of the roaster (we generally wait a day or two to decide on tasting notes, but it’s gesha, so I want to drink it!), and I’m getting really interesting green tea flavors–something akin to genmaicha (japanese bancha with toasted rice added). It’s a little bit grassy or saline and seaweedy, with a bit of a toasted note as well. It’s really attractive in a sophisticated way). There is meyer lemon acidity and flavor, and lightly fruited accents akin to watermelon juice. You might compare the fruit to the experience of smelling the crumbs you find at the bottom of a box of Fruity Pebbles or Fruit Loops cereal. It’s not fleshy, but almost dusty and ethereal in its expression.
Gesha has always been a coffee for adults: that is, a coffee of nuance and subtlety. There is nothing over the top here. But it is complex and interesting and delicious. A coffee to sit and think about. Or just guzzle.
- Location: Buenavista, Huila
- Elevation: 2050 MASL
- Varietal: gesha
- Process: anaerobic ferment, washed, dried on raised beds