Vanilla Orchard - Anaerobic Natural Geisha

In the cup

We taste sweet french vanilla, florals reminiscent of juniper, and powdered sugar. This coffee reminds us of our favourite creamy vanilla ice cream. This coffee has a incredibly creamy body with a long sweet finish.

About The Producer

Alejo Castro is the current owner of the well-known and respected farm, Volcan Azul. Alejo carries on his family’s traditions while dedicating himself to elevating the farm’s quality and environmental care. He is responsible for the farm’s advanced drying methods, advanced processing methods, and meticulous soil management. Alejo assesses new varietals annually and continues to advance his coffee quality through ongoing experimentation and innovation.

Processing

Cherries are picked at their prime, washed at the mill, and then sorted to remove floaters. The beans are transported to shaded fermentation tanks located in the forest, where Alejo introduces natural yeasts that he’s cultivated on the farm. During fermentation, various factors such as temperature, pressure, pH levels, and sugar content are closely monitored. The fermentation process goes on for 4 days in closed tanks before the beans are dried. This lot is dried using the raised patios.

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

Imported

Apex

We Paid

$44.22 USD/KG

Roasted Costs

$53.35 USD/KG