This beautifully soft, citrus-toned gesha introduces itself with aromas of raspberry, honeysuckle, and tangerine. When sipped, we found notes of lemon balm and white grape, a soft body, and pineapple acidity. The aftertaste features grapefruit and a lingering semi-sweet chocolate undertone.

This coffee is available whole bean in an 8 oz Blue Label tube, 8 oz pouch, or 4 oz pouch, roasting and shipping on Tuesdays only.

Details

Producer: The Peterson Family
Farm: El Velo, Hacienda La Esmeralda
Region: Boquete
Altitude: 6,165 feet
Varietal: Gesha
Process: Washed
Roast: Light
Notes: Tangerine, Lemon Balm, White Grape

The Story

The Porton #3 nanolot comes from Esmeralda's El Velo farm, located at 6,165 feet in the mountains of Boquete, Panama. Although the altitude presents challenges for growing and harvesting, the volcanic soil and cool, humid nights bring out the finest qualities of the gesha variety.

Harvesting

Due to the high premium these coffees garner during auction, Hacienda La Esmeralda is able to pay its harvesters three times the typical wage, ensuring a good standard of living as well as the highest quality work.

By carefully dividing each lot as it is picked, specific clusters of trees are targeted during the harvest, building unique microlots for the most quality-conscious buyers.

Washed Process

The Washed Process begins by sending the coffee cherries to a receiving tank, where they are sent down a funnel by flowing water. Unripe cherries float to the surface and are discarded, leaving only the ripest cherries to fall into the depulping machine. The skin and pulp are separated from the beans and used for fertilizer, creating minimal waste. The beans continue to the demucilager, mechanically scrubbing the rest of the mucilage off and leaving the bean only protected by a layer of parchment. Once the coffee is fully washed, it sits in a holding tank until the next morning.

Drying

Depending on the weather and the size of the lot, coffee from Esmeralda will be dried one of two ways: on the patio or in the Guardiola electric dryer.

This nanolot is dried on a patio for 10 days, spread in thin layers and rotated regularly to be dried by the sun. This process requires constant observation and rotation of the beans until they reach 11% moisture content.

Dry Milling

After the coffee is removed from the patio, it is stored in nylon grain bags to rest between 30 and 45 days. This “reposo” period helps to stabilize the enzymes in the bean.

A week prior to shipment, the coffee is hulled to remove the parchment layer, then sorted by size, density, and color to create consistent nanolots. Finally, coffee is vacuum sealed in GrainPro and shipped to the winning bidder.

Direct Trade

Esmeralda's industry-leading environmental sustainability practices and support for employees and their families have made us proud to partner with the Peterson family for many years. Learn more on their website.

~ ~ ~

This coffee will be produced once a week, on Tuesdays. All coffee and merchandise in your order will be produced and shipped on the same day unless you specify otherwise in the Order Notes section of your shopping cart. Please see our Shipping FAQs for more details.