Description
We feel lucky to have these beans! We tried to get a couple lots out of this years COE competition but got outbid on everything, holy smokes, the coffee auction averaged almost twice the price as last year. The good fortune comes from our good buddy Edwin Martinez (Finca Vista Hermosa) getting together with Finca Zapote before the COE competition and making an awesome deal for us on 4 boxes of the Geisha that they held out of the auction (so technically not the winning lot – but tastes just like it!). Stellar coffee at a great deal, well great deal comparatively to the COE lot!
Finca Zapote is a legendary farm. Located about 80 kilometers from Guatemala City, it has belonged to the Meléndez family for more than 100 years, the current owner being the fourth generation. The farm is in Acatenango, which is the eighth microclimate of Guatemala. Acatenango was officially designated a geographic micro-climate in 2006 after many years of recognition for distinguished coffees, the volcanic soil providing optimum development of the plants and cherries distinctly concentrated in sugars.
Geisha coffee is a unique single strain that has been dominating the coffee competitions and top cups as of late. One just took the place of the worlds most expensive coffee from the recent Best of Panama competition going for over $1000/lb! Common for top grades out of Panama (not that competition winner) usually sell in the $40-$80/lb range.
Do not worry, this great cup comes at a much smaller price. With the success of Panamanian Geisha, every other country is readily adopting the strain. Guatemala is apparently having some lovely success and at a way better price. This is the first Guatemalan Geisha to make the cut of quality versus price, a wonderful and exotic cup.
Tasting Notes: A top notch and exotic cup of Guatemalan coffee. Light roasts are where this cup will shine and be easily identifiable as a lovely Geisha coffee. The first thing to hit is the very jasmine and floral like aromatics whose spice notes will come through in the cup character. Very lemony floral upfront at the lighter roasts balanced with a lovely dark tea undertone reminiscent of of a Darjeeling or English breakfast tea. Medium roasts drop the lemony floral tones quite a bit in the cup and bring forth a bit of semi-sweet chocolate mixing with the more tea like spice. Darker roasts are very pleasant but kill most of the exotic-ness of the cup, very easy to drink and smooth chocolate tones with a bit of a smoky factor.
Roasting Notes: This shines at the lighter roast points. The lemony floral, soft fruit and spice all come together in a very jazzy and semi-acidic cup. A little development past first crack is ideal if you like acidity. If you are like most and want a little more balance in the cup, lean towards a nice medium roast. It will mute up a little acidity without burning out the overly floral and soft fruit notes. One can roast it close to 2nd crack or into and it will still be tasty but those roast points will burn out much of what differentiates this cup.
Julio Melendez finds the climate perfect for growing his family’s prized Gesha. Temperatures range between 15 and 29 C, morning sunlight turning to afternoon cloud coverage and mists. Julio records soil tests and weather data related to each lot, which enables him to evaluate correlations between production data and cup quality year over year. Gesha accounts for only 5% of the farm’s overall production, but is increasing every year. Other varieties grown include Caturra and Bourbon. Zapote is focused on sustainability and is certified Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, and 4C
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