A mesmerising washed lot of Geisha produced by Israel Hernandez, who reached 4th place in Colombia’s Cup of Excellence 2020.

VERY SPECIAL

After last month’s VS trifecta (Los Tres Mosquteros), the stakes are high. But this clean Geisha will do just as fine. We’ve featured Israel’s coffee previously for the exact same reasons: high quality of processing and flavour. This time, we’ve made room for him in the VS shelf because it’s a tiny lot of one of the best varietals, showing up in the cup as sweet and citrusy. Really bright.

THE FARM & PRODUCER

Israel Hernandez is a third-generation coffee producer from Rioblanco (Tolima, Colombia). At 15, his father had already taught him everything about coffee, from fertilisation to the post-harvest processes. It was back then when he started dreaming about running his own coffee farm, owning his own business.

In 2005, Israel purchased a small piece of land in a countryside town called Uribe. Just in front of it was an already established and beautiful coffee farm to which he would stare every day. After gathering some savings, he was able to buy it and start realising his dream. He called his farm Buenos Aires (‘good airs’ in Spanish) because of its perfect weather and altitude.

The main varieties growing there are Caturra and Castillo. In 2016, he learned about Geisha’s great potential for quality and income, so he decided to plant 1200 trees.

He also reached out to receive training about managing this new varietal, as he soon realised that producing specialty coffee required much more attention to detail and delicate work. “Through specialty coffee, I’ve learned to love the product because it’s a beautiful way to be profitable and move forward in life.”

For Israel, receiving recognition for his hard work is very satisfying. In fact, one of his Geisha lots made it to 4th place in Colombia’s Cup of Excellence 2020. He says he continuously produces coffee with all his love because he believes that his coffee speaks for him to the whole world.

THIS LOT’S VARIETAL & PROCESS

This small lot is made of only perfectly ripe red Geisha cherries, grown under the shade of Guamo and Plantain trees. It has been fully washed and traditionally fermented, then dried on house-type covered raised African beds until achieving Israel’s perfect moisture level.

ENJOY

We hope you enjoy this coffee. Please visit our online brew guides or email us anytime for tips on how to make the most of this coffee!

Green coffee certifications: Fairtrade

All the images and information about this coffee and its producers have been kindly shared by the importer, Caravela, and edited by us, Sample Coffee (unless linked to or credited otherwise).

Resting beans inside the sealed bag helps develop peak flavours and acidity

Learn how long and why you should wait in our brewing window recommendations.

Try our step-by-step recipes and videos

Our recipes are easy to follow and designed to bring the best out of our coffee. Find your favourite method on our brew guides collection or test a new one—and if you have any questions, ask us anytime at [email protected].