Colombia Aponte Village Geisha Semi-Washed

APONTE VILLAGE
Aponte – Inga Indigenous Community, Colombia Grown by 200 Inga smallholder farmers on rich volcanic soils near Volcán Galeras, this coffee is crafted with traditional knowledge and meticulous processing for exceptional quality. Each cup reflects the Inga people’s resilience, sustainable farming, and cultural renewal at some of Colombia’s highest elevations.


PROCESS
This coffee undergoes a meticulous process. Every step is carefully monitored to bring out the best in the Geisha variety. The cherries first undergo a 48-hour fermentation with beer yeast, enhancing oxidation and stabilizing the flavor. The process then continues in mucilage, with the pulp remaining attached for 24 hours, during which the beans are stirred every 3 to 4 hours to ensure even fermentation. Next, the beans enter a two-stage drying phase: the first seven days at a lower temperature, followed by an additional 2 to 3 weeks at a higher temperature until they reach 12% moisture. The result is an exceptionally sweet and creamy coffee.


GEISHA/GESHA
The Geisha variety was originally collected from the coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s. It was subsequently sent to the Lyamungo Research Station in Tanzania and later brought to the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953, where it was recorded as accession T2722. In the 1960s, Geisha was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE after its tolerance to coffee leaf rust was recognized. However, it was not widely cultivated initially due to its brittle branches, which were not favored by farmers.