About This Coffee
airo Arcila has been farming for over 40 years. In the early years, Jairo planted traditional Colombian varieties, but after his first few decades of growing coffee, his friends convinced him to invest in Geisha trees.
Geisha is a variety that was first documented in the Ethiopian village of Geisha but was popularized in when a lot of Geisha from a Panamanian farm won the “Best of Panama” auction and received the hitherto unheard-of price of $20.10 per pound. Today, Jairo cultivates this highly-sought-after Geisha with care and expertise.
Cultivation
Quindío has proven to be an excellent environment for growing the delicate, high-altitude-loving Geisha. Jairo is enthusiastic about preserving and improving his Geisha crop.
In addition to coffee cultivation, Jairo also grows oranges, lemons and mandarin oranges.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked. After harvest, Jairo lays the cherry in thin layers on patios where it sundries for 15 to 20 days. If the weather is unsuitable for drying, Jairo may use a mechanical dryer to finish drying.
Once dry, coffee is stored for 20 to 30 days in a temperature-controlled warehouse in Armenia before being transported to the warehouse in Manrepo, Armenia.
Coffee in Colombia
Colombia has been producing and exporting coffee renowned for their full body, bright acidity and rich aftertaste, since the early 19th century.
Colombia boasts a wide range of climates and geographic conditions that produce their own unique flavors in coffee. This also means that harvest times can vary quite a bit. In fact, between all its different regions, Colombia produces fresh crop nearly all year round.
The increasing focus on the specialty industry is changing the way traders and farmers do business. It is becoming more common for farmers to isolate the highest quality beans in their lots to market separately. These higher-quality lots are often sold under specific brands or stories.
Besides its wide variety of cup profiles, Colombia has quickly expanded its certification options over the past 10 years. The most common certifications available are Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Organic.