Following the release of Number 018 by Gustavo Acevedo, we are thrilled to welcome back the Acevedo family to our lineup. They are introducing a washed Geisha coffee, brought to you by Gustavo’s daughter, Daisy, and Freddy’s exciting new project, El Encanto. This enchanting coffee venture is nestled in the picturesque Quindio region, offering an exceptional coffee experience.

Think darjeeling tea, peach-like fruit tones and delicate floral and citric notes of lime zest.

Daisy Acevedo, La Cauchera, Filandia, Northern Quindío, Colombia
— Washed Gesha

This coffee lot from Daisy Acevedo has an intriguing backstory. Daisy, the daughter of Gustavo Acevedo, from whom we’ve previously sourced coffee, hails from the coffee-growing region near La Celia in Risaralda. Gustavo, her father, has spent a lifetime cultivating coffee, primarily with lower-quality Castillo and Catimor plants. However, a few years ago, Daisy and her husband Freddy returned from living in Panama with tales of a varietal that was making waves in the coffee world, Geisha, and proved lucrative for coffee producers.

Upon her return to Risaralda, Daisy tried to obtain Geisha seeds locally for her father, but her efforts were in vain. On a subsequent trip to Panama, she and Freddy managed to acquire some seeds, although they weren’t entirely certain they were the authentic Geisha varietal. They planted these seeds on Gustavo’s farm outside La Celia and almost forgot about them.

An Unrecognized Varietal

Fast forward three years, and the coffee plants were ready for a small harvest. Gustavo, somewhat skeptical of his daughter’s stories of wealth and fame, harvested the coffee and discreetly sold it to the local cooperative in La Celia, using a friend’s name to determine its true value. It was evident that he had something extraordinary when two coffee buyers from La Cabra arrived in La Celia in pursuit of the source of that unique lot. In November 2019, we visited the cooperative in La Celia in collaboration with Herbert and Ana of LaREB, aiming to learn more about the enigmatic lot we had acquired from our partners at LaREB the previous summer. Together with LaREB, we established contact with Gustavo, Daisy, and Freddy, and gathered more details about Gustavo’s farm.

After extensive discussions with LaREB, they are now confident that their trees are indeed the original Geisha varietal. They’ve been diligently working on harvesting and processing to enhance the value of their crop and achieve greater consistency in the cup.

Washed Geisha

This lot of washed Geisha marks our initial purchase from Daisy and El Encanto. The seeds for this plot were sourced from Gustavo’s Geisha plot in La Celia and deliver the same bright and complex notes of lemongrass and jasmine florals. The crisp citrus notes in the cup are a bit more refined, clean, and well-balanced compared to our experience with Gustavo’s coffee four years ago. We’re grateful to our partners at LaREB for their transparency in facilitating our connection with the Acevedo family and look forward to following Daisy, Freddy, and Gustavo in the years to come.

El Encanto

This lot originates from Daisy and Freddy’s exciting new project, El Encanto, located near Filandia in the Quindio region—a breathtaking and verdant area popular among Colombian holidaymakers and weekend travelers. It is undeniably one of the most stunning farms we’ve had the privilege of visiting, situated on the fringes of a nature reserve, extending down to a mountain river. Daisy, with her background in biology, takes conservation seriously and is deeply committed to preserving the diverse native flora found on the farm, which she enthusiastically shared with us during our visit in November 2021.

The coffee is grown under the shade of rare native trees on only a small portion of the land. Daisy and Freddy have invested in Penagos processing equipment, affording them significant control over the process, a level of precision typically associated with coffee production in Costa Rica or Brazil. They are also in the process of establishing a small cupping lab adjacent to their house, bringing quality control closer to their daily work on the farm. It’s a truly ambitious project, and one that we believe holds immense potential.

Washed Processing

Method The washed process entails the complete removal of both the cherry and the mucilage from the parchment through a combination of friction, fermentation, and water. After harvesting, the coffee cherry is sliced open using a metal or sharp plastic blade, separating the two seeds (beans) and leaving the seed covered in mucilage as its outermost layer. In the washed process, it’s essential to remove all mucilage, leaving only the flavor that developed within the seed’s cell structure before processing.