I am ecstatic to offer this exquisite gesha from Juan Peña and his team from Hacienda La Papaya, a renowned farm located in the Saraguro Formation of Loja. This region is esteemed for coffee growing due to its dry tropical climate, receiving season rainfall for two months out of the year and otherwise enjoying long stretches of cool, dry air. La Papaya is also highly regarded for its exquisite soil and water sources; the Andean clay loam soils, upon which La Papaya's coffees grow, are engorged with nutrients and organic materials, and the farm's water source comes from mountain wetlands, filtered through volcanic stone.

To ensure cup quality, cherries at La Papaya are hand-harvested at peak ripeness, and then floated and density sorted to remove defective cherries. Sorted cherries are then depupled, and briefly fermented in mucilage, before being washed with spring water. Cherries are dried on African beds or in mechanized drying rooms for 9 to 18 days, or until the coffee reaches a moisture content of 9-11%.

All of these remarkable growing conditions and meticulous processing results in a clean cup that is astoundingly floral. I find this coffee to possess a sweet, aromatic, and delicate taste of cherry blossoms and jasmine, a green tea body, and subtle yet expressive Yuzu acidity. 

This coffee was sourced from our friend Steve of Sybil Coffee. Be sure to check him and his coffee out!

Green coffee price: $30/lb