Producer: The Peterson Family
Farm: Jaramillo, Hacienda La Esmeralda
Region: Boquete
Altitude: 1,700 masl
Varietal: Gesha
Process: Natural
Roast: Light
Notes: Hyacinth, Purple Grape, Pomelo

It was in Jaramillo’s unique microclimate that Panamanian Gesha was rediscovered in 2004. With cool temperatures and massive shade trees that have been standing for ages, the perfumed jasmine and stone fruit notes in the geshas from this area are uniquely bright and kaleidoscopic. To this day many of La Esmeralda's top performing microlots come from the slopes of Jaramillo. The lower areas of the farm are planted with Catuaí.

In the natural process, harvested coffee goes directly to a patio to dry. The fruit of the cherry slowly dries out with the coffee bean still inside, infusing the bean with fruit and aromatic notes that carry through all the way to the cup.

Depending on the weather and the composition of the lot, the coffee will dry for 3 to 5 days on the concrete patio (for 8 hours per day). It is then rotated into a Guardiola dryer for 72 hours to round out the drying process and prevent unwanted fermentation. After drying is complete, the beans are mechanically separated from the remaining fruit material. It is then stored in nylon bags to rest between 30 and 45 days. This reposo period helps to stabilize the enzymes in the bean.

A week prior to shipment, the coffee is hulled to remove the parchment layer, then sorted by size, density, and color to create consistent nanolots. Finally, it is vacuum-sealed in GrainPro bags and shipped.

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.

The Petersons' spirit of experimentation continues: 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.