Finca Gascon - Guatemala - Hybrid Washed - Geisha
Another year, another absolutely astonishing Geisha from legendary producer Felipe Contreras at Finca Gascon! Felipe is one of the most driven young producers we have been lucky enough to meet. The farm is completely organic with regenerative and permaculture principles and each plant is attended to according to the theory of molecular trofobiosis. The farm also happens to be sitting on the rich, volcanic soils of Antigua. All-in-all, these are very healthy Geisha trees planted on terrific terroir. Expect a clear and expressive coffee with notes of jasmine, apricot, and blueberry. For the purists!
Info
Producer
Felipe took over the farm from his father with the ambition to produce world-class specialty coffee.
Region
Finca Gascon is located in the famous coffee growing region of Antigua. The region is spread across 3 ancient volcanoes.
Sustainability
Felipe makes his own ‘apichi’, a natural insecticide made by fermenting garlic, onion, chilli, & peppers. The ingredients are soaked, mashed, and fermented into a ‘juice’ and sprayed on the coffee trees to prevent pests and moulds.
Elevation
Finca Gascon sits at 1800 masl on sandy, sulfurus volcanic soil.
Variety
The 6 year old Gesha trees at Finca Gascon are incredibly healthy from yearly pruning and thick layers of natural compost.
Process
Fully-ripe cherries are fermented anaerobically for 48 hours before being pulped and then fermented in mucillage for another 48 hours. The seeds are then washed and laid to dry on raised beds in a controlled greenhouse.
Regenerative
“The biggest improvement in cup quality we saw was when we started composting.”
There is a strongly held belief at Finca Gascon that healthy trees and fruit, in a healthy and balanced environment, are the foundations for producing excellent coffee now and into the future. The farm is completely organic with regenerative and permaculture principles and each plant is attended to according to the theory of molecular trofobiosis. They have built natural irrigation systems, produce their own organic compost in their 'biofactory', make their own natural ‘pesticide’ by fermenting plants, and have planted various native shade trees in an agrofroestry model.
Geisha
“My father heard that a Panamanian Geisha was bought for more than US$250/lb at the 2017 Best of Panama Auction. So he planted 10,000 Geisha trees”
Of these 10,000 Gesha trees, around a quarter of them died. The shallow root systems of the Gesha plant could not develop in the soft soils of this ‘traditional’ coffee farm. Gesha is adapted to forests (like in their native Ethiopia) with structured soils from other root systems and constant organic composting from leaf litter and treefall. It was clear that an agroforestry model, with an organic approach to soil health, was the only way forward for growing and maintaining high quality Geisha.
Surprisingly, the first year that these now organic-composted Gesha trees produced any fruit, the small 10kg washed lot scored an astonishing 88.5 points! This lit a fire for Felipe to keep improving all aspects of farming and processing in the pursuit of quality.
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