Colombia | Finca Anaya - Geisha Z9

Tasting Notes: Cascara, hibiscus, honey, masala chai

Origin: San Adolfo, Huila, Colombia

Farm: Finca Anaya

Producer: Sergio Aranda Gomez

Elevation: 1600 masl

Varietal: Geisha

Process: Double thermal shock washed

About: Yet another stellar coffee from Sergio and the Anaya team. We’ve copied and pasted the process provided to us below, but really it highlights how thoughtfully this was processed. When we cupped this, there was a familiar flavor we couldn’t place. It’s very floral, fruity, has deep red and orange tones, but took a while to place. After re-reading their process and cupping for the fifth time, it finally hit; this tastes a lot like freshly picked coffee cherries. From the ones we’ve eaten right off the tree, the cherries have fruit, floral, and spice notes to them, similar to hibiscus, cranberry, honey, and masala chai. Sergio adds the geisha husks to the fermentation tanks, creates a mosto mixture which gets fermented alone, then reintroduces the mixture to the washed coffee, which makes a whole lot of sense given the tasting notes.

From the producer:

Cherries are harvested at approximately 95% ripeness, selecting only healthy and uniformly ripe fruit.

Oxidation (30 hours)

The cherries are left to rest in piles for approximately 30 hours in contact with oxygen.

• During this phase, the coffee mass increases in temperature to around 35°C.
• Oxidation promotes the controlled breakdown of sugars, the generation of aromatic precursors, and more uniform ripening of the cherries.

First Thermal Shock (19-20 °C)

After oxidation, the cherries are immersed in water at approximately 19-20 °C.

• This thermal shock helps lower the temperature of the bean (from ~35 °C to around 20 °C).
• The goal is to stabilize the coffee mass and help fix the bean's own flavors before the directed fermentation.

Pre-ferment preparation (24 hours before)

The pre-ferment is prepared 24 hours in advance:

• Coffee cherries (sweet red fruit), yeast, water, sugar, and dried Geisha husk are used.
• This mixture is left to ferment for about 24 hours, allowing the development of a high concentration of microorganisms and aromatic compounds.

Pulping and inoculation

Once the oxidation phase and the first heat shock are complete, the coffee is pulped.

• Immediately afterward, the pulped coffee mass is inoculated with the prepared pre-ferment.

Directed fermentation (30 hours)

The inoculated pulped coffee is left to ferment for about 30 hours.

• In this stage, the microorganisms consume the sugars in the mucilage.
• The production of alcohols is sought, which act as carriers to transport and fix the flavors
  within the bean

Washing and final heat shock (40°C)

To finish fermentation:

• The coffee is washed with a heat shock using water at around 40°C.
• This step helps to slow down fermentation activity, remove fruit and residual mucilage, and contribute to sealing the pores of the bean.

Drying (12 days)

The washed coffee is taken to traditional dryers, where it dries slowly for approximately 12 days, until the desired moisture content is reached

Rest and house recipe: We're resting this for ~14 days before brewing.

V60 - 202° water, 1:16.5 ratio, ~5.5 on the ZP6. 
0:45 bloom, then 3 pours to final volume, finishing around 2:30.

Roast Level: 1/5

 Intensity: 3.5/5

Whole Bean Coffee | Net wt. 8 oz.