We have worked with Jose Martinez for many years, but this is our first year purchasing his Gesha variety. It is a strong representation of what Gesha can be in the terroir of southern Huila. In the cup we find nectarine, white florals, and apricot.
Gesha
Palestina, Huila
1,750 masl
February, 2025
Hand-picked at peak ripeness. Floated to further remove defects and de-pulped on the day of harvest. Dry-fermented for 30 hours. Dried on raised beds.
ABOUT JOSE MARTINEZ
We have worked with Jose Martinez for several years, and his dedication to quality remains unwavering. His Pink Bourbon lot is consistently one of our favorites each year, and it is always both an honor and a joy to roast his coffee.
ABOUT GESHA
Gesha was originally collected from coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930's. From there, it was sent to the Lyamungo Research Station in Tanzania, and then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in the 1953, where it was logged as accession T2722. It was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE in the 1960’s after its tolerance to coffee leaf rust was recognized. However, it was not widely planted because the plant's branches were brittle and not favored by farmers. Gesha came to prominence in 2005, 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 per pound. Since then, the variety has become a resounding favorite of brewing and roasting competition winners and coffee enthusiasts alike.
Pricing Details
Farm Gate (Local; PARCHMENT)
5.8MM COP/Carga
Farm Gate (USD; Green)
~$14.90/KG
FOB
$18.93/KG
FOT
$25.06/KG
The cost of getting a coffee from cherry to beverage varies enormously depending on its place of origin and the location of its consumption. The inclusion of price transparency is a starting point to inform broader conversation around the true costs of production and the sustainability of specialty coffee as a whole.