Very special

This VS edition is a semi-throwback. Back in July 2022, we shared a natural Yellow Gesha from Jardines del Edén (Colombia); this lot comes back to the same farm, but, instead, it features a washed Red Gesha.

When we tasted this sample at our cupping table, we knew straight away it belonged in our Very Special section. Aside from having a top-tier price tag, the cup’s presence is remarkable. Clean, floral, balanced, structured… The elevated care put on production, plus the natural qualities of the Gesha variety, really come through.

About the Arcilas

Felipe Arcila is one of the co-founders of Cofinet (a Colombian-based coffee import/export company( along with his brother Carlos. They are the 4th generation of coffee growers. Their father, Jairo, is a third-generation coffee grower from Quindío.

Jairo told his sons that the coffee industry was not profitable because of the many economic challenges he had faced in the past. Because of this advice, Felipe and Carlos both pushed forward with their careers in civil engineering and travelled to Australia to continue with their master’s degrees.

Felipe was amazed by the coffee culture he saw first-hand in Australia and was inspired to be a part of it. When Felipe finished his studies and returned to Colombia, he became more involved in coffee and started to study Specialty Coffee. Felipe and Carlos then bought Jardines del Edén, where their focus is on growing exotic varieties of coffee.

In 2015, Felipe and Carlos started Cofinet and began producing, sourcing, and exporting Specialty Coffee to the rest of the world.

While Carlos Arcila (left) is the Australian connection to Cofinet, his brother Felipe works on the ground in Colombia.

About the farm, Jardines del Edén

This coffee comes from a farm owned and operated by Cofinet, an Australian-Colombian coffee importing company we’ve worked with for years. Growing their own coffee was always part of their plans—or dreams— and this way they get to have a complete experience throughout the whole coffee chain.

It’s their first farm, but not the last (they already purchased a second one, Jardines del Encanto). They picked Jardines del Eden because of its phenomenal soil conditions, unusual cold microclimate (perfect for growing high-quality coffee) and unique biodiversity (plenty of native birds, one small waterfall and 3 water springs that feed their processing operations).

JdE serves almost like a lab where they can experiment and produce the coffee perhaps they don’t often access through the general market—and also helps them understand the pains and limitations faced by farmers. Here, they planted 14 of the best coffee tree varieties.

A view from the top of Jardines del Eden.

The Red Gesha variety

In 1931, the British Ambassador of Ethiopia collected seeds near the village of Gesha to use for research purposes. From there, the coffee seeds journeyed to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and finally to Panama, being recognized for tolerance to coffee leaf rust. However, the plant’s branches were brittle and not favoured by farmers so it was not widely planted.

The coffee came to prominence in 2005 when the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda (Boquete, Panama), entered it into the “Best of Panama” competition and auction. It received exceptionally high marks and broke the then-record for green coffee auction prices, selling for over $20/pound.

Gesha, also spelled Geisha, is associated with extremely high cup quality when the plants are managed well at high altitude, and is known for its delicate floral, jasmine, and peach-like aromas.

Red Gesha trees produce red coffee cherries, hence the name. “We planted this variety [Gesha] in 2019, and the results have been successful! The soil and altitude of Jardines del Eden allow for the production of a sweet, floral, and complex profile,” says Felipe.

(Sources: World Coffee Research, Trabocca, SCA)

Harvest and processing

Christian, the farm manager, employs biodynamic principles for the growth and production of the coffee at Jardines del Eden—i.e. avoiding the use of fertilizers.

The cherries in this lot were harvested following strict ripeness criteria, floated, and hand-sorted to remove any defects. These were then exposed to 30 hours of underwater fermentation before being pulped. The parchment was then gently washed and dried for ~183 hours in temperature-controlled conditions until ideal moisture content was achieved.

One of Christian’s best workmates!

The dry beds.

Brew, share, enjoy

Now you know a bit more about the background it’s time to enjoy this awesome coffee! If you don’t know where to start, you can use the team’s brewing recipe (see below on this page).

You can also try your favourite method (check our brew guides if you need assistance/inspiration) and play around with some settings to get the best of it.

Don’t forget to tell us how it went, perhaps adding your recipe here, via email or on Instagram at @samplecoffee. We look forward to hearing about your experience with this VS coffee!

 

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Red Gesha coffee beans, provided by Cofinet and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

Producer

Felipe Arcila

Country

Colombia

Region

Quindio

Altitude

1700-1900m above sea level

Varietals

Red Gesha

Process

Washed

Body

Light

Acidity

Balanced

Tasting notes

Musk stick, jasmine, ripe white peach

Roast style

Omni