Colombia Leonardo Henao Gesha

This lot of Gesha is from Leonardo Henao, someone we've worked with in Colombia for years. He was behind the Los Palomos farm in Urrao, which hopefully you had the pleasure of trying when we carried it. Los Palomos was the first farm for Leo, who at that time had aquired years of knowledge as the small producer coordinator for the exporter we buy from, and also at the University where he specialized in fermentation. Los Palomos was where he cut his teeth as a coffee farmer, refining his harvest and post-harvest practices. He built out an incredible farm that was also very much a proving grounds for personal passions like experimental fermentation practices, and organic farming. The culmination of his efforts was winning the 2020 Cup of Excellence with a Chiroso coffee. Sadly, shortly after that momentous even he was all but forced to sell Los Palomos during a period of paramilitary violence, and security concerns in Urrao. Thankfully, Leo's story as a coffee farmer didn't stop there. A couple years later, an opportunity to buy a farm in Santa Barbara, much closer to his home in Medellín, came up, and he took it. His new farm is aptly named "El Jardín", or "the garden".  It's a variety garden, where Leo grows several different coffee types, like Chiroso, SL-28, Colombia, and Gesha. This lot is a separation of just the Gesha from the farm, and turned out quite nice (see cupping notes)! The 15 hectares is situated on the sloping mountainside that starts at 1950 meters above sea level, and stretches up to about 2050. He typically ferments the cherries for 1-2 days before pulping, followed by tank fermentation for up to 3 days more, depending on the temperature. We're headed to Colombia in July, and can't wait to see El Jardín, and Leo, on that trip!