Guatemalan Geisha

Coffee: Felipe Contreras
Roaster:   Manhattan Coffee Roasters, Rotterdam, Amsterdam
Producer/Farm: Felipe Contreras
Origin/Region: Guatemala, Antigua
Process: Washed
Varieties: Green Tip Gesha



Aroma: jasmine, nectar, cinnamon spice

Tasting Notes: The aromatic profile of this coffee hits you before your first sip making it very apparent that this is the Geisha variety. Florality and sweetness make this a lovely cup, it’s worth taking your time to enjoy this one. Honey, lavender, lemon, bergamot, nougat and a light but definite note of fresh manadarin are layered in this complex but beautifully light coffee. The mouthfeel is silky-syrupy. The acidity is pleasant and a perfect counterbalance to the nectar sweetness.

Roaster’s notes: Every farmer’s love story with coffee begins in a unique way. For Gildardo Contreras, it started as a young boy where in his back garden his parents has 50 bourbon coffee trees, they would pick and process together. In 2012, Gildardo made his dream a reality when he purchased a farm from a relative who grew both avocado and coffee. He slowly started buying up the neighboring parcels until reaching the current farm size of 54 acres. Felipe, Gildardo’s son, now manages the farm focusing on quality, and works with the neighbors to improve both quality and processing techniques. They are always looking at natural remedies for plagues and even have a magic concoction of garlic, chili, onion and water that eliminate one plague mould (fumagina). Coffee parcels are renovated by 20% (3 acres). They plan to replace the Bourbons planted at 1800 masl with SL28 which is supported by an irrigation system.

A note about green tip Geisha: Geisha originated in Ethiopia. This variety is distinguished as a Geisha with the growing tip leaves being green in color as opposed to bronze. There is sometimes confusion as to what is actually a Geisha and what is not. The most authoritative information on this is provided by World Coffee Research.

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