Notes from SEY:
This is one of the most impressive coffees we've tasted from Peru. We have been exploring Peru for a few years now with varying degrees of success, but something magical is happening here. The cup is a more fruit-forward gesha profile; still very floral, but with added berry complexity and sweetness.
Gesha
Amaybamba, Cusco
2,100 masl
November, 2023
Hand-picked at peak ripeness. Floated. Depulped. Dry-fermented for 48 hours. Washed. Dried on raised beds until moisture content reaches 10.5
ABOUT MARIO ASORZA
We've been exploring Peru for the better part of 3 years, and it has been an exceptionally challenging place to work. This year, we were introduced to a new farming cooperative located near Cusco in the southern part of Peru. We were highly skeptical, given our history of working with Peruvian coffees. However, we knew this place was special once we received the first round of samples. The density of these seeds is extremely high, and the cup profiles are explosive. We have yet to visit in person, but look forward to doing so next season.
ABOUT GESHA
Gesha was originally collected from coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930's. From there, it was sent to the Lyamungo Research Station in Tanzania, and then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in the 1953, where it was logged as accession T2722. It was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE in the 1960’s after its tolerance to coffee leaf rust was recognized. However, it was not widely planted because the plant's branches were brittle and not favored by farmers. Gesha came to prominence in 2005, when the Peterson family of Boquete, Panama, entered it into the Best of Panama competition and auction. It received exceptionally high marks and broke the then-record for green coffee auction prices, selling for over $20 per pound. Since then, the variety has become a resounding favorite of brewing and roasting competition winners and coffee enthusiasts alike.