LTD: RED GESHA — Finca la Negrita

ONE TIME ONLY
Colombia — Red Gesha
3rd place in the Dutch Brewers Cup Championships Finals

Finca La Negrita is located at 1700 MASL in Tolima, Colombia where a cool mountain breeze meets the warmth of the valley to create the perfect conditions for growing World Class coffee. It is where this Red Gesha, a naturally vibrant and perfumed varietal grows and develops extraordinary flavors.

A medical doctor by trade, Mauricio brings with him a surgical precision to his processes that create truly exceptional coffees. He is driven by a desire to create exceptional drinking experiences, telling us he doesn’t see the coffee buyer but the coffee drinker as the end consumer, in this case: that’s you. It’s this unique mentality that makes his coffees extra special, designing them for experiences such as this one that you are about to enjoy today.

After sterilizing the cherries to remove any flavor interference from foreign bacteria, Mauricio places the cherries in hermetically sealed tanks. He calls this part of the process Nitro, because, unlike most, he flushes the tanks periodically with Nitrogen instead of Carbon Dioxide to create an anaerobic environment.

Mauricio explains that this is one of the key differences in his coffee, as CO2, although effective in removing oxygen, would then react with the water present in the cherries to create carbonic acid, which is sour and astringent. This is why in this coffee you will find a vibrant but never sour experience, with an acidity and complexity, unlike any other coffee.

Mauricio believes that exceptionally slow drying in a controlled environment without any exposure to UV light is crucial in developing and sealing in all the amazing flavors of the coffee. This is why  the coffee is dried for eight weeks with the help of industrial fans, and in the presence of only infrared lights . He explains that this fully protects the cell structure of the coffee which means we get the best intensity and clarity of flavour.

Preferred brewing method: Orea V3 with Sibarist paper

RECIPE

The recipe for this coffee consists of 5 total pours with 95 degrees water and 16 grams of coffee ground at 500 microns with flat burr grinder that has an SSP ultra low fine burrset, less fines means less chance of clogging and large flat burrs enhance the sweetness, vibrancy and clarity of the coffee.

The bloom, which is 45 grams will take 40 seconds total to saturate all grounds fully, giving the coffee its full body.

After this, each next pour is 50 grams total and the contact time is relative to the drawdown, as the bed almost dries, the next pour is initiated, resulting in a fast recipe with high extraction aiming for a total end weight of 245 grams, which means I’m using 65 grams of ground coffee per liter, or a ratio of 1 : 15.4. A slightly higher dose to intensify the sweetness of this coffee.

WATER

The water I designed for this is 110 ppm and is a combination of distilled water and AQUACODE minerals.

This provides a stable calcium-to-magnesium ions ratio of 1 : 2.7 which helps me to get the optimal extraction, with a slightly higher magnesium content for more sweetness and a balanced cup.

RESULT

Aroma of lavender and dark red fruits, such as strawberry, cherry and fig.
Expect flavors of dried strawberries, fig and red plum, red fruits throughout.
A syrupy mouthfeel.
Lingering as hibiscus tea.
As the coffee cools down the red fruit tones stay, but also a hint of orange zest appears and a Christmas-spice note will become noticeable. Almost like a very clean mulled wine.