We've bought Aristobulo's coffee once before, but this year's harvest was the best we've tasted – and perfectly timed for the festive season! We were only able to secure one half-sack of his gesha, so this is an exclusive release just for the holidays. It's got the quintessential washed gesha profile, with notes of satsuma, wildflower honey, and yellow peach.
We sourced this coffee through our good friends at Falcon and their partner Valentina at Siruma. Siruma has become our main exporter of Colombian coffee, and they've been wonderful, collaborative partners, even contributing advice and moral support to our work in Ethiopia!
Aristobulo Rayo Mendez is the owner of Finca La Victoria, a 47-hectare farm located in Ortega, Tolima. He has been growing coffee for 50 years as part of his family's coffee-farming legacy. The farm has 8 hectares of coffee and also includes a 10-hectare area of natural forest protected by Aristobulo. The varietals on the farm include castillo, caturra, and gesha, with about 38,000 total coffee trees.
During harvest, coffee is picked every 20 days, with the pickers receiving a premium for ripe cherry selection. Once the coffee is picked and taken to the beneficio it is pulped and fermented for 24 hours in a tiled tank. The coffee is then washed 3 times and laid on African-style beds to dry.
Aristobulo Rayo Mendez has been a member of Cafe Agrario, an association of producers from Ortega, for 6 years. Most of its 35 associates are coffee growers. Cafe Agario has faced many hardships lately, including being in a region that is often troubled by civil war and being cheated by coffee buyers who haven't paid for their deliveries. However, they refuse to give up, and have been focusing more on specialty coffee lately to add value to their products while also roasting and selling coffee locally.
Elevation: 1830 Meters above Sea Level
Varietal: Gesha
Cup score: 90
Price paid per kg: £19.69
Process: Washed
