Lacia Puerto Alegre Geisha Carbonic Maceration

Experience the beloved Geisha profile in this Geisha Carbon Maceration lot from the Lopez family. They have been cultivating coffee on Finca Puerto Alegre and Finca La Esperanza for over 3 generations and their experience combines with the renowned Geisha profile to create and complex, fruity and floral cup.

In 2014, 4 Lopez siblings – the grandchildren of Don Moises – took over the farm and began focusing their efforts on producing sustainable, specialty coffees. The siblings were later joined by several of their own children who have focused on innovative processing and ecotourism and today, the farm benefits from this multi-generational expertise.

Finca Puerto Alegre is divided into parcels that are located in the mountains surrounding the town of Pijao. The main plot sits in the foothills and has a stream passing through. The mill, lab and main house are all located on this plot. Several hectares of Java variety coffee are planted on this plot. Further up the mountain, the Castillo, Mocha/Moka and Geisha varieties are each planted on their own designated plots. The nursery is also located among these higher plots. Currently, they are cultivating several varieties of Bourbon seedlings, including a variety called Aji that originated in Southern Huila.

Coffee at Puerto Alegre is shade grown and has been since their patriarch, Don Moises, made the decision to maintain his shade cover in the 1970s, when many other producers were transitioning to full sun exposure. Although full sun generates higher yields, Don Moises was a strong believer in sustainability (before sustainability was a “thing”) and did not want to damage the environment with use pesticides and fertilizers for higher yields.

Today, Leucaena (river tamarind) is the main shade tree planted on the farm. The tree’s roots fix nitrogen and, since it sheds its leaves every 3 months, a great source of biomass for producing organic fertilizer. This periodic shedding also reduces pruning costs.

Due to weather patterns, Finca Puerto Alegre produces coffee year-round. The Lopez family fertilizes and prunes trees on a regular schedule to keep plants healthy and productive.

Their careful attention to cultivation is complemented by equally-attentive processing. Jairo, the second youngest of the 4 brothers, was trained as a civil engineer and has applied his knowledge to improving processing methods at Puerto Alegre.

Jairo believes that standardization is key. Each lot receives a “birth certificate” that documents and maintain traceability throughout processing. They record the usual basics – variety, processing method, weight, plot, date picked – and additional fermentation information – time fermentation starts and ends, pH of the sample at different stages and more –  to make the method as repeatable as possible.

Cherry is selectively handpicked. In the field, pickers use a refractometer to ensure cherry is a peak ripeness when picked. Cherry rests overnight and is then analyzed again to ensure Brix content is still within optimal range and then fermented in sealed bags for 2 to 4 days.

The temperature of the coffee is controlled throughout the maceration process and kept between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius. The temperature is controlled through the constant injection of water gathered from the process into the airtight barrels. During the process, the release of CO2 is also controlled. The process takes from 60-72 hours to complete.

Following fermentation, cherry is laid on raised beds in parabolic driers. Jairo keeps careful track of the temperature within the drier and uses ventilation to control temperature and humidity to ensure even drying. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 25 to 30 days for cherry to dry.

In addition to perfecting processing at their farm, Jairo’s innovations are making a larger impact in Quindio. His idea for automated drying beds recently won a contest and he received funding from the local government to produce his stacked bed design.

Geisha (also known as Gesha) is known for its exceptional cup quality, especially when grown at high altitudes. The variety comes from Ethiopian landrace coffees and was collected from Ethiopian coffee forests in the 1930s. The name supposedly derives from Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha forest.

There is some confusion with several genetically distinct varieties that have all been called Geisha, but the most famous variety is the Panama one. The variety was brought to Lyamungu research station in Tanzania and from there to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953. At CATIE, the variety was logged as T2722. CATIE distributed T2722 across Panama in the 1960s for its Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistance, but its brittle branches meant it was not widely planted.

Panama Geisha reached its modern fame in 2005 when a Geisha lot won the “Best of Panama” competition and broke contemporary records at over $20/pound. DNA analysis has demonstrated that the Panama Geisha descended from T2722 is distinct and uniform. Today, Geisha is known for its delicate florals, jasmine and stone fruit.