Process: Washed
Location: Armenia, Quindìo
Varietal: Gesha
Altitude: 1450 - 1500 masl
Tasting Notes: Strawberry, Key Lime Pie
This product comes in 1/2lbs (227g) size only.
Gesha, often spelled "Geisha," is one of the most celebrated and sought-after coffee varieties in the world. Renowned for its exceptional cup profile, this variety has consistently won prestigious coffee competitions and commanded record-breaking prices at auctions. Its journey from the remote forests of Ethiopia to the lush coffee farms of Latin America, particularly Panama and Colombia, is a tale of discovery, perseverance, and innovation.
The story of Gesha begins in the 1930s in the Gori Gesha Forest of Ethiopia, where the variety was first discovered. In 1936, seeds were collected and sent them to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania. From there, the seeds made their way to the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica in the 1950s, where they were catalogued as part of a broader effort to study and preserve coffee genetics.
Gesha's potential was not immediately recognized. For many years, it was grown as a rust-resistant variety, rather than for its cup quality, also, some farmers stopped planting it due to fragile branches. It wasn't until the early 2000s that the variety gained international acclaim.
