Colombia Gesha El Jardin Washed

This gesha micro-lot was grown and processed at El Jardín, ‘the garden’, in the municipality of Santa Barbara, in Colombia’s state of Antioquia. The farm was once part of Pergamino Coffee's Santa Bárbara Estate, but is now privately owned by husband and wife team Léonardo and Jenny Henao.

The Henaos are passionate producers with experience in all aspects of the coffee business in Colombia. Jenny is Pergamino's Head of QC and Léo is the company's Director. He also holds a master’s degree in fermentation science. In 2020 Léonardo took first place at the Cup of Excellence for a coffee he produced with his brother Felipe Henao and his lifelong friend Jorge Cuéllar.

El Jardin is a stunningly beautiful, high-elevation hillside farm with rich volcanic soil and abundant natural water sources. Located in the Andes mountains, the warm days and cold nights are perfect for the slow and consistent development of excellent coffee.

El Jardín has its own wet mill, drying area, and warehouse, allowing the Henaos to have full and independent control over every aspect of production. Ripe coffee cherries are selectively hand-harvested in the field and carefully sorted at the wet mill. The cherries are kept in-tact and allowed to ferment for up to 48 hours, depending on their degree of ripeness.

For the washed process, cherries are first carefully pulped to minimize the amount of water needed. Next, they are left to ferment in the dark for up to 72 hours. According to Leonardo, the microorganisms that catalyze fermentation are better able to flourish when they’re not exposed to full light.

During this dark period, more freshly picked cherries are pulped and added to the mix to lower the overall pH level and allow for an extended fermentation process with little risk of spoilage. The slow fermentation helps to bring out a coffee's unique flavors and results in a vibrant cup with winey acidity. Finally, the coffee is washed in clean water and spread out to dry in the sun for three to four days or until it reaches 28-30% moisture content. The lot is then moved to silos to finish drying in controlled greenhouse-like conditions.