ABOUT SAMUEL ARAGON

We have been focused on sourcing coffee in Peru for several years, primarily in the San Fernando Inkawasi Valley and around the still-mysterious variety SL9*. Last year, however, we were introduced to a few producers in Santa Teresa whose coffees completely shifted our perspective. As a result, we began developing a project in this region as well—and it has exceeded expectations. Samuel produced one of those standout lots. More Gesha is being planted here, and the profiles tend to express heightened florality. We are excited to see where this new exploration leads.

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.