Geisha Nicaragua La Bastilla Washed

NICARAGUA LA BASTILLA COFFEE ESTATES NATURAL

FLAVOR: Jasmine, Honeysuckle, Melon, Plum, Red Currant

BODY: Heavy

ACIDITY: Bright

GEOGRAPHY:

Region Jinotega

Altitude 1300-1500

PRODUCER:

La Bastilla Coffee Estates

VARIETY:

Geisha

PROCESSING:

Washed

La Bastilla Geisha Washed Process

Our new washed-processed Geisha variety unroasted coffee micro-lot was sourced from Finca La Bastilla, an idyllic farm set atop the high peaks of Nicaragua’s Jinotega department. Ripe red coffee cherries were picked from La Bastilla’s Geisha micro-farm. The cherries were floated, depulped, then placed in fermentation tanks to remove the mucilage. The resulting clean cup profile offers a clear view of the Geisha variety with floral, honeysuckle and fresh fruit notes.

Washed Coffee Processing

In the “washed” or “wet” process coffee cherries are floated and sorted to ensure consistent ripeness and to remove any defective cherries. The seeds (coffee beans) are then removed from their skins using depulping machines and typically moved to fermentation tanks to remove the mucilage—the remaining fruit remnants. Afterwards, the coffee is dried until it reaches the optimal moisture level.

Washed processing has become widely popular. The cup profile of washed coffees tends to reflect the terroir of the coffee. The processing method allows the growing conditions, the region and the true character of the coffee to shine through.

La Bastilla Coffee Estates

La Bastilla Coffee Estates, located in the north-east region of Jinotega, NIcaragua, is renowned for its coffee. On its two farms, Finca La Bastilla and Finca Santa Luz, the estate employs around 50 permanent and up to 600 temporary employees during the harvest season. Surrounded by the natural reserve Cerro Datanli El Diablo, just a few kilometers from Lago de Apanas, Finca La Bastilla is a tropical paradise for the fauna and flora founded on deep, favorable volcanic soils. Since 2003, the farm has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance and is striving for continued excellence.

Micro-farms have been created throughout the estate, so that each coffee can express its full potential in accordance with the different microclimates. Each farm is further divided into lots. Lots are differentiated at the micro-farm level, but also by the variety of the coffee and the altitude.

Additionally, La Bastilla owns its own micro-mill. Every coffee is wet-milled and dry-milled with care. Between coffee varieties and its ability to control processing, La Bastilla is capable of producing more than 150 micro-lot coffees, including bespoke offerings upon request.

Geisha Coffee Variety

Geisha is a prized cultivar, which is renowned for its flavor and, often, for its eye-popping price. Originally named Gesha (for the town of Gesha in Ethiopia) the rare coffee is also known as Geisha.

The highly sought-after Geisha cup profile is often associated with bright citrus, honeysuckle sweetness, and delicate tea-like and floral notes. However, the cultivation and harvesting of Geisha coffees involves special care and attention. Geisha coffee trees tend to have low yields and can be susceptible to leaf rust. The unique flavor profile, in combination with low-yielding, temperamental trees, make Geisha – or Gesha - a specialty-coffee treasure.

Coffee Bean Quality

A Strictly High Grown (SHG) coffee is grown at an altitude of 1,200 meters above sea level or higher. When coffee cherries grow at high altitudes, they tend to mature more slowly. This allows the fruit to take in more nutrients, resulting in denser, sweeter green coffee beans that are considered higher quality. Due to the longer maturation, harvesting and production of SHG coffees generally occurs later in the season. During dry milling, this lot was further sorted to European Preparation (EP) specifications with a minimum screen size of 15 and above and a maximum of eight defects within 300 grams.