Colombia

Cerro Azul Washed

Café Granja La Esperanza’s iconic Cerro Azul Geisha; showcasing crisp floral and citrus aromatics, and a delicate tea-like cup

A returning favourite; the Cerro Azul Geisha showcases the white florals and aromatic citrus we so enjoy in this iconic varietal.
Launch, 200 boxes available - max 2 boxes per customer
For subscribers: 8th of June, 14.00 (GMT +2)
For email list: 9th of June, 14.00 (GMT +2)
Public release: 10th of June, 14.00 (GMT +2)
Coffee expression
A floral & balanced coffee
Whole Bean Coffee
100g (3.53oz)

Regular price: $26.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $26.00
incl. vat/tax
Regular price: ~~$26.00~~
Unit price: per

Varietal
Geisha

Producer
Café Granja La Esperanza

Process
Washed

Taste the varietal

Geisha

The quintessential Cerro Azul Geisha; crisp white floral and citrus aromas are followed by a dense sugary sweetness and lemon brightness in the cup.

This washed Geisha was produced at Cerro Azul, located near Trujillo in the Cauca Valley.

Café Granja La Esperanza

Cerro Azul Geisha

Our fourth release of the varietal series is a lot that is very familiar to us, Cafe Granja’s revered Cerro Azul Geisha. This is now the seventh year we have purchased this coffee, the coffee that our baristas Sonja Zweidick, Dane Oliver and most recently Victor Kristensen have taken to the world stage, in both Barista and Brewer’s competitions. Cafe Granja are intimately familiar with the care and attention the Geisha plant needs, they were one of the first to bring it to Colombia, having previously owned a farm in Panama, the adopted home of this lauded varietal. This translates into their excellent work at the farm level, this coffee is a true representation of the potential of the Geisha varietal in Colombia. Clean acidity, intense and distinct flavours, and some of the most incredible aromatics we have come across in coffee. Cerro Azul was chosen by the experts at Granja as a perfect location for the development of ultra high quality Geisha cherries. The location of the farm is further southwest in the Cauca Valley than Potosí and Las Margaritas, closer to the state capital of Cali, and to Colombia’s Pacific coast. The cool breeze from the Pacific combined with the very high altitude mean that the trees have to fight low average temperatures and large day-night swings in temperatures to survive, concentrating energy into their cherries as sugar. This leads to a high level of both sweetness and intensity of flavour in the final cup.

Geisha

Double fermentation

This incredible quality of raw material has to be treated with great care at each further stage, in order to preserve the potential created in the field. Luckily the team at Cafe Granja La Esperanza consistently take care of these stages of the process with aplomb. This lot has gone through a double fermentation, similar to many of Granja’s washed lots, first fermented in closed tanks for 69 hours before de-pulping and a further fermentation of 36 hours in open tanks. Finally, the parchment coffee is washed and dried slowly in mechanical driers. This leads to an excellent balance between the heavier sweetness generated by the long fermentation, and the clean and transparent feel that the washed process allows us to maintain. This is the quintessential Cerro Azul Geisha, with crisp white floral and citrus aromas followed by a dense sugary sweetness and lemon brightness in the cup.

Produced using Café Granja’s generations of professionalism and expertise.

Café Granja La Esperanza

Varietal Series

This year, we are excited to present a varietal series from our partners at Café Granja La Esperanza. One of the most revered producers in Colombia, and on Barista competition stages the world over, we have been collaborating with Granja on super high-end lots since 2014. Over the past few years however, we have been visiting more often, and become more aware of the breadth of work this dedicated and passionate group of people. This series presents a fuller view of their work, from their elevation of ordinary varietals, all the way to incredibly rare varietals, hybridised by the Granja team on their farms. An extensive cupping, both in Colombia and at home in Copenhagen, has led us to this selection with the focus on varietal first, process second. Each lot has been selected with the aim of presenting the varietal characteristics in the most delicious and clear way, based on the discussions and experiences we have had on our trips to visit the Granja team. We are truly proud of our relationship with these trailblazers, and look forward to sharing their work with you over the coming weeks.

Technical Data

Producer
Café Granja La Esperanza
Region
Valle del Cauca
Altitude
2000 masl
Varietal
Geisha
Process
Washed
Harvest
November 2021

Washed Process

The washed process involves completely removing both the cherry and the mucilage from the outside of the parchment with the use of friction, fermentation and water. After being harvested, the coffee cherry is then sliced open by either a metal or a sharp plastic blade.

The two seeds (also known as beans) are pushed out of the cherry, which leaves the seed with mucilage as their outermost layer. It is essential in the washed process that all mucilage is removed from the seed which leaves only the flavour that developed in the cell structure of the seed prior to processing.

Continue to explore:

Cerro Azul Washed

Geisha

Cerro Azul Geisha

Double fermentation

Varietal Series

Technical Data

Washed Process

Brew Guides

Guides

Equipment