Juliana Guevara Geisha (WS)

AN EXTRAORDINARY DOUBLE FEATURE FROM FINCA LA TERRAZA

Green buyers don’t discover coffee producers; rather, relationships begin with a conversation, sharing enthusiasm over a connection of shared values. While attending a conference in Armenia Quindío, Colombia, we were fortunate enough to meet Juliana Guevara. While we didn’t know it at that moment, we had cupped 2 of Juliana’s coffees days prior in Bogotá over a spread of several large tables, and they left their mark. 

In addition to functioning as the executive director of Terra Coffee, an organization elevating smallholder producers in southern Huila, Juliana oversees production on her own 6 hectare farm, Finca La Terraza, with her husband Wbeimar, manipulating fermentation to present immaculate clarity in the plentiful exotic varieties that they cultivate.

We are proud to release our first of two variety separations from Finca La Terraza, the revered Geisha. Entrusted only to the most experienced pickers, cherries are immediately taken to the mill to avoid overheating & oxidation where they are floated to remove defects. Cherries are then depulped without the use of water and left in mucilage for 36 to 48 hours with precise monitoring of pH. Afterwards, coffee is soaked in cold water for 48 hours with agitation to remove mucilage, and clean water is refreshed throughout the process. Coffee is then dried in thin layers with ample ventilation and constant agitation to ensure even, consistent drying for 4-5 days. Once the lot has reached roughly 30% moisture, coffee is bunched into thicker layers to slow down the drying speed for another 20 days until it is ready for final evaluation before export. In the final cup, enjoy soft notes of mandarin, jasmine, and honeydew.