For many, Colombia may as well be synonymous with coffee. The Central American nation is the third largest coffee-producing country by volume globally and is famous in the specialty coffee scene for offering consistently delicious premium-grade Arabica beans. This year alone we’ve tasted many fantastic Colombian coffees, including several from our friends at Quaffee. This lot is stepping in place of their earlier Los Naranjos offering (sorely missed), and is particularly exciting due to its being of the Geisha variety. 

The Geisha variety is famous in the specialty coffee scene. A coveted coffee variety that was first grown in the Gori Gesha forest of Ethiopia, the Geisha coffee plant was first transported to and cultivated in Central America in the mid 1930s. Though difficult to grow, Geisha coffee is renowned for its potential for complex, floral aromatics and delicate, tea-like body. 

However, Quaffee tells us that this Colombian Geisha is quite unlike the famous Ethiopian and Panamanian varieties, but still offers its own unique and complex flavours that highlight the terroir of its origin farm, Finca La Julia.

La Julia was built by Octavio Ocamo in the ‘90s, with help from his wife Angela, near Trujillo, a region to the North of Colombia’s southwestern Valle del Cauca region. Spanned by the Andes Mountains to the West and the Amazon Rainforest to the East, and graced with an Equatorial climate, Valle del Cauca offers some ideal growing conditions for coffee farming. 

La Julia was taken over by Octavio’s two sons following his passing in 2002. Niko and Karo remain dedicated to their father’s vision for the farm, especially regarding sustainability, and Finca La Julia received its first two Rainforest Alliance Certifications in 2006.

Quaffee’s notes

“After cupping nearly 20 different Colombian coffees, we specifically selected this one to replace our Los Naranjos, which we have offered since 2008. This coffee has a similar flavour profile, we hope it will be as well-loved as Los Naranjos was.”

• Taste profile: Orange, subtle raw nut and a crisp sweetness to finish
• Roast used: “What we call a bump and kick. The coffee is very active after first crack, so we reduce flame, but it accelerates into development time.”
• Roast degree: Light
• Quaffee brews:
• Espresso: 1:2.3
• AeroPress: 17.5g:200g
• Plunger: 48g:600g
• Pour-over/filter: 18g:300g

Coffee details from Quaffee

• Country: Colombia
• Region: Trujillo, Valle del Cauca
• Producers: Niko and Karo Ocamo
• Altitude: 1450 - 1700 masl
• Processing: Washed
• Variety: Colombian geisha

Quaffee’s transparency information

• Sourced from: Sabores
• FOB price: $12.14/kg
• Cupping score: 85 (Sabores’)
• Relationship: “Our relationship with Sabores goes back to 2019, this is our second offering from Finca La Julia.”