Producer: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Farm: El Velo
Region: Quiel, Boquete
Altitude: 1,850 masl
Varietal: Gesha
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Berry Jam, Pomelo, Apple Blossom

Available whole bean only in a 50g jar or a 4oz pouch. This coffee roasts and ships on Mondays + Thursdays only.

El Velo is one of the newest of Hacienda La Esmeralda’s farms, purchased in 2012. This 50 hectare farm is the only one where the flat landscape allows a more uniform pattern, in rows. The farm is planted with Gegsha and Catuai varieties, as well as with smaller lots of exotic varieties like Laurina, Pacamara and SL34. In addition there are some 400+ other accessions, which are part of Esmeralda’s research initiatives, and were obtained from CATIE.

The farm is planted from 1,650-1,900 masl, although the nature reserve continues up the mountain all the way to 2,900 masl, and is home to the famous Quetzal and other endangered birds.

We've been proud to offer Geshas from Hacienda La Esmeralda for more than a decade. All of their farms are Rainforest Alliance Certified, attesting to Esmeralda's sustainable practices: reuse of leftover coffee pulp as a fertilizer; forest maintenance along watersheds; timing coffee tree pruning around bird nesting season; use of hydroelectricity and sustainable wood burning to run the coffee mill; and more.

On our most recent visit, in April 2023, our green coffee buyer was impressed by the Petersons' continued spirit of experimentation. They are testing 32 different processes, including combinations of fermentations, yeast inoculations, and drying techniques. Working with a local university, they have begun isolating and culturing native yeasts found at their farms and on coffee cherries, including different genera such as Pichia, Candida, and Saccharomyces. The various yeasts have been used to inoculate coffee fermentations, with the most successful trials increasing the floral and stone fruit qualities inherent to Gesha when compared to commercial alternatives.