El Paraiso Zeo - Zeo Geisha

In the cup

We taste sweet starburst, juicy yellow plum, and lime juice. This coffee has an incredibly creamy and mouth coating body with a sweet yet clean finish. This coffee is complex and well balanced.

About The Producer

Alex, one of the owners of Finca El Paraiso, is a mastermind of coffee processing. He employs bio reactors and a meticulous selection of microorganisms to precisely control every aspect of the fermentation process, including temperature, pH, sugar content, and microbial load. This level of precision results in a coffee that is unparalleled in its complexity and flavour profile.

Processing

The ZEO process begins with the careful selection of the best coffee cherries, harvested at their optimal point of ripeness. This meticulous selection is crucial to avoid spoilage and damage, ensuring that only the highest quality fruits are used in the drying process. After harvesting, the coffee cherries are immediately taken to an ozone disinfection tank. This step effectively removes impurities and unwanted microbiological loads from the fruit. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant that leaves no chemical residues, making it ideal for preserving the coffee's quality. The disinfected cherries are then transferred to an ultra-freezer that rapidly lowers the temperature to -40°C within 4 hours. This quick freezing process is essential for preserving the cellular structure and aromatic compounds of the coffee cherry, preventing the formation of large ice crystals that could damage the fruit's integrity. The frozen cherries are then moved to a drying chamber, where they are subjected to negative pressures. The sublimation process (where water transitions directly from a solid to a vapor state without passing through liquid) is aided by zeolites, microporous minerals that act as molecular sieves. The zeolites selectively remove water molecules while retaining many of the aromatic precursors present in the coffee cherry, which are crucial for developing a rich sensory profile.

Variety

This variety was originally collected from coffee forests in Ethiopia in the 1930s. From there, it was sent to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania and then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953. It was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE in the 1960s after it had been recognized for tolerance to coffee leaf rust. However, the plant's branches were brittle and not favored by farmers so it was not widely planted. The coffee came to prominence in 2004 when the Peterson family of 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. There is significant confusion about the Geisha variety because there are multiple genetically distinct plant types that have been referred to as Geisha, many of which share similar geographic origins in Ethiopia. Recent genetic diversity analyses conducted by World Coffee Research confirm that Panamanian Geisha descendent from T2722 is distinct and uniform. It 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.

Transparency

Direct

$88 USD/Kg

Roasted Costs

$116.20 USD/Kg