Origin: Finca Las Flores, San Isidro Huila, Colombia

Producer: Jhoan Vergara

Process: Washed with extended fermentation and Thermal Shock

Varieties: Gesha

Altitude: 1650 MASL

Importer: Shared Source

Roast: Light

Notes: Tropical Fruit, Jasmine Tea, Rose, Lemongrass, Spearmint

This is a super special coffee for us, both celebrating 1 year roasting, and cafe goodlucks 5th year being open!

Transparency - Shared source purchased parchment coffee directly from Jhoan, and pesos were transferred straight to his bank account upon receipt of parchment at our chosen mill. Share source pay for transport from Pitalito to the mill in Cauca. They purchased 198.9 kg of parchment coffee and paid 4,800,000 pesos per carga for it- a carga is 125 kg of parchment coffee.

We paid Shared Source $9.60usd /lb plus shipping and brokerage, and purchased all 70kgs of the coffee available.

Jhoan's processing

This coffee is dope, it’s not only one of the best varietals out there, but it’s also being treated like a king by Jhoan. His processing is so meticulous and unique, i’m in awe of the work he put into it. I’ll share what our pal Joey at Shared Source had to say about the processing.

“Jhoan has been experimenting for many years now, specifically seeking consistency and the ability to replicate cup profiles that he likes. These days, he works with a microbiology lab in Pitalito, separating microorganisms from each variety of coffee cherry to reproduce them, and then reapplying those microorganisms to the coffee mass. When the microorganisms are applied to the mass (either as cherry or de-pulped coffee), they will be able to work efficiently, without as much competition from other microorganisms.

Jhoan says that the distinctive floral notes in his gesha comes from three processes- first, an oxidation (or uncontrolled “rot”!) of the coffee cherries; second, from controlled fermentation with microorganisms in a low oxygen environment; and finally from a hot thermal shock which allows the yeasts and bacteria to continue fermenting the coffee as it moves towards the drying phase.

First, cherries are picked, and left in open weave bags (tulas) for an initial cherry ferment or oxidation process- the mass gets hotter during this process, and cherries are left for 24-48 hours depending on the weather and the brix. From there, he floats cherries to homogenize the temperature again, and de-pulps the coffee, fermenting it in sealed plastic bags. He adds the microorganisms into the coffee at this phase.

Finally, he washes the coffee with hot water- the thermal shock- which Jhoan says can lend more intensity to the cup profile, from 1-2 points higher. Jhoan says that the pores of the coffee are more likely to open up with a thermal shock, and the sweet and acidic notes are intensified within the beans during this process (Shared Source would like to research this claim further- but worth noting Jhoan’s experience!). From there, Jhoan takes the coffee down to a dehumidifying machine that his (and Shared Source’s!) friends Adrian and Nestor manage down in Bruselas, in Huila. “

more about jhoan

Jhoan left high school at the age of 15 and began focusing on farming and coffee. He wanted to dive deeper into the specifics of everything, and he ended up at SENA - the Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje, where he and other producers learn more about cupping, roasting, brewing, and agronomy.

This is where he met Nestor Lasso, a name you might recognize if you drink good coffee! We had some of his lots this year roasted by Manhattan and Prodigal, and they were out standing! Nestor and Jhoan share much knowledge about their farm management and and processing, and even share drying and processing space when their farms are at capacity.

in the cup! oh man, so rosey and floraly, with a huge jasmin tea / bubble gum nose. the body and sweetness is very tropical fruit, with crazy jasmin tea vibes, and a lovely lemongrass note cooling into a minty coolness. SUPER unique.

we were only able to purchase 70kg of this coffee, so it will be a super limited run, make sure to pick some up!