ARMANDO FERNÁNDEZ, Washed Gesha

This Gesha is grown in the highlands of Betanía, El Tambo, Cauca, at elevations between 1,850 and 2,000 meters above sea level. Cultivated under native shade trees and surrounded by diverse flora, the microclimate and altitude create ideal conditions for this delicate variety to express its full potential. The farm follows sustainable practices that prioritise soil regeneration and biodiversity, resulting in a clean, transparent, and vibrant cup.

Processing begins with selective handpicking of only the ripest cherries. This precise harvesting ensures high sugar content, essential for clean, structured fermentation. Immediately after picking, the cherries undergo a four-hour pre-fermentation in open-air baskets, where natural enzymes activate the coffee's aromatic complexity.

Next, the cherries are floated in clean water to remove underripe or defective fruit. The selected cherries are then mechanically de-pulped, and the parchment is transferred to closed plastic tanks to ferment for 24 hours. This process is carefully monitored to preserve the signature florality and citrus brightness that characterise this variety, allowing subtle tea-like notes to emerge without overdeveloping the fruit profile. After fermentation, the coffee is thoroughly washed with fresh water to remove the mucilage, ensuring clarity and crispness in the final cup.

Drying takes place on raised beds inside solar dryers, where the parchment is spread in thin layers and stirred regularly. Over 12 to 14 days, the coffee gradually reaches ideal moisture levels while protected from direct sunlight and rain. This slow drying preserves the vibrant acidity and floral elegance typical of high-quality Gesha.

Once dried, the coffee is moved into fique bags and placed on wooden pallets for a 20-day stabilisation phase. This resting period allows the moisture to homogenise, volatile compounds to settle, and flavours to harmonise, enhancing complexity and ensuring consistency in the cup.

In the mountains of Cauca, at 1,900 meters above sea level, sits La Esperanza, where Armando has dedicated his life to farming coffee. As a small-scale producer, he has faced many of the challenges typical of his region, yet he has found in coffee a way to build a more stable future for his family.

Over the years, Armando has steadily improved his farming and post-harvest practices to achieve the quality that now defines his lots. Though modest in size, his farm reflects a deep commitment to excellence and to the wellbeing of his environment.

In 2024, one of Armando's lots was selected for the Subasta por la Paz, a government-led initiative that highlights coffee producers from areas historically affected by conflict. This recognition honoured both the quality of his coffee and the continuous effort he has invested in his craft. The experience gave Armando an opportunity to introduce his coffee to international buyers while sharing a story that reflects the positive impact coffee can have in rural Colombian communities.

Gesha is a coffee variety originally collected from Ethiopian forests in the 1930s. It was sent to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania, then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953, where it was logged as accession T2722. Recognized for its tolerance to coffee leaf rust, CATIE distributed it widely throughout Panama in the 1960s. However, farmers didn't favor it due to its brittle branches and relatively low yield, so it wasn't widely planted.

There are actually multiple genetically distinct plant types referred to as Gesha, many sharing similar Ethiopian origins. World Coffee Research has confirmed that the Panamanian Gesha descendant of T2722 is a distinct and uniform variety. When managed well at high altitude, its cup profile can be phenomenal, known for delicate floral and peach aromas.

The lack of a standard translation from Ethiopian dialects to English has resulted in two interchangeably used spellings. The coffee was originally collected near a mountain commonly rendered in English as "Gesha." However, it was first recorded in germplasm records as "Geisha," a spelling mostly maintained by coffee researchers and germplasm banks for decades. The use of "Geisha" is problematic, though, as its non-coffee context carries specific connotations that many feel have been misappropriated for marketing value.

Gesha's global reputation was cemented by the Peterson family of Boquete. Their Hacienda Esmeralda won the Best of Panama competition in 2004 with this variety. The following year, their Gesha received exceptionally high marks and broke the then-record for green coffee auction prices, selling for over $20/pound.

The washed process was designed to minimize the risk of off-flavours caused by uncontrolled fermentation during the natural process. Cherries are typically sorted using a flotation tank, where under-ripe or defective fruits float to the top and can be removed. The remaining cherries are then pulped and left in a tank to ferment until the sticky fruit mucilage is soft enough to be washed off the parchment—a paper-like layer surrounding the seed.

The design and cleanliness of the tanks used for fermentation are crucial, and the type, degree and speed of microbial activity depends on various factors. These include the amount of fruit remaining, the presence of bacteria and yeasts, whether the tank is filled with water, and the environmental conditions.

Once the mucilage has sufficiently degraded, it's washed away with water. The remaining parchment coffee, as it's commonly called, is then dried until it reaches a safe moisture content. The bacteria-rich and sugary water used in the process must be treated carefully, as it can cause algae blooms if it enters streams and rivers.

In situations where large amounts of coffee are processed in bulk, such as in Ethiopia, some operations have found it economical to use a mechanical demucilager. This device removes all the fruit from the parchment with minimal water, bypassing the fermentation stage entirely. However, some believe this leads to a reduction in cup quality, as many flavour precursors are created through fermentation.