Huila

Of the many growing regions in Colombia, the mountainous department of Huila in the south west of the country grows the most coffee. Huila enjoys a wide diversity of micro-climates, temperatures, altitudes and coffee varieties. In fact, coffee is grown in 35 of Huila's 37 municipalities. All of this means that the coffee coming out of this region is as diverse as the variables that influence its production.

Gesha

The famed and highly sought-after Gesha variety is originally from Ethiopia. It was transported to Latin America in the 1950s where it was noted for its tolerance to leaf rust. In 2005, the variety was "rediscovered" when it won that year's Best of Panama competition. Since then, it has gone on to break price records at auction year after year and has been planted by farmers across Latin America in hopes of securing high prices.

The variety itself is highly demanding, and it requires high elevations in order to really deliver the exceptional floral, jasmine and stone fruit cup characteristics it is so famous for. There are actually a number of genetically distinct varieties that carry the name Gesha, and most have been traced back to Landraces from the same geographic area in Ethiopia.

Washed

Demetrio's Gesha micro lot was meticulously processed using a multi-step fermentation process. After the cherry was hand-selected for ideal ripeness, it was put into a flote, where the day’s collection was put into a tank with water for the underripe cherries to float to the top and be skimmed off, as well as any resulting debris that came in with the harvest. The cherry was then fermented intact overnight, de-pulped and, fermented in plastic barrels for 64 hours. The wet parchment was then rinsed once and put out to dry on raised beds inside a parabolic dryer for 20 to 25 days, after which the dry parchment was put into GrainPro bags.