El Corozo Geisha: New Year, New Crop, New Process
The geisha is back! We are very excited to be relaunching our geisha from Finca El Corozo. We had great success with the first lot and now it’s back. This will be available on V60 and retail in our Pontcanna and St Davids stores. Also available to purchase on our website. Shop here. As ever we are super proud of our direct trade relationship with Fernando Lima at Finca El Corozo so who better to talk to about this new coffee. We got Fernando himself to give the low down on this new addition to our menu.
When did you first plant the Geisha varietal at Finca El Corozo?
We planted the Geisha in 2017. In the years after the eruption of 2005 we decided to replant this area. I was unsure about the outcome of planting this variety and whether the quality of the soil would produce good yields. Each variety of coffee plant likes different conditions to grow in. The soil at El Corozo which was covered in ash is extremely fertile and we are very happy with the quality and the yield of the plants. We achieved a score of 90.3 at the Cup of Excellence with a presidential award in 2020.
The Cup of Excellence was born in Brazil in 1999 and has since spread to many countries across South and Central America, Africa and Asia. This non-profit organisation recognises the best coffees from these regions each year. This encourages farmers to pursue quality with their coffees. Cup of Excellence was introduced to El Salvador in 2003 and Fernando has won numerous awards across his farms.
What are the processing steps of the Geisha Natural?
My traditional natural processing method is as follows;
• Harvest the cherry when it is totally ripe, it should be a beautiful deep red colour when it is picked from the plant.
• Put the picked cherries in our Grain Pro tank for 24 hours. This means the juice will spend more time in contact with the bean. We keep the tank at 16 degrees Celsius to control this process.
• We then put the natural beans in African beds to dry out for 20 days more or less. The beds are raised off the ground to allow for better air circulation and to dry out more evenly. The beans are also turned by hand throughout the day.
• Once at the correct moisture content the beans are then hulled to remove the mucilage and skin layer from the bean.
How is this different to the washed process?
Regarding Washed coffees is totally different we select the beans, float them and de-pulp immediately, put them in African beds to dry for 10 to 15 days.
A natural coffee is a stronger fruity flavour. The bean is in contact with the mucilage for a longer period of time. This means that it develops a stronger flavour. Washed coffee is a more elegant, soft and balanced coffee.
How was the crop compared to previous years?
I consider the last crop was one of the best in 20 years. We did have an excellent rainy season, this is crucial to the health of the plants and their ability to produce good yields. We are very happy with the flavour profile and quality of our coffees, we consider were very good.
We are incredibly proud of this one. The El Corozo Geisha is available to drink and buy in St Davids and Pontcanna, as well as online - with tasting notes of strawberry compote, 80% dark chocolate, crème caramel and orange peel. We hope you love it as much as we do!