Colombia's coffee industry is made up of more than half a million smallholder families who cultivate crops across 23 diverse departments. Colombia's coffee producers strictly handpick their ripe cherries because mechanical pickers cannot navigate the steep slopes of the Andes Mountains. Located within the Bruselas mountains in Huila, an area celebrated for producing exceptional lots of specialty coffee, lies Zarza Coffee, a farm owned by the Gasca family.

Zarza Coffee is currently managed by its third generation of producers: brothers Jhonatan and Johan Gasca, alongside their partners Alejandra and Sylvia. Since 2022 they have placed a strong emphasis on quality control from cultivation to cup — combining traditional knowledge with cutting-edge innovations in coffee production and processing. Notably, Australian barista Jack Simpson used a Zarza coffee to secure the 2025 World Barista Championship title. This particular lot, a Wush Wush variety, was roasted by our friends at Cedar. Read about its processing below.

Cedar's notes

"In the cup, we found a distinct Grapetizer note on filter, paired with a cherry candy sweetness. As espresso, it leans more tropical, with pineapple coming through clearly. With milk, it shifts into a more dessert-like profile, reminding us of peppermint tart."

• Cup profile: Grapetizer, cherry candy, pineapple, peppermint tart

Coffee details from Cedar

"This is our third time working with Jhonatan Gasca and the Zarza project, and it's been great to see the consistency in quality year on year. This is the first time we've brought in their Wush Wush variety, something we were particularly interested in given the work they've been doing around both variety and processing.

"Zarza, based in Huila, has built a strong reputation for producing high-quality, detail-driven lots, with a focus on experimentation and careful execution. Coffees from this project have also started gaining recognition on competition stages, with lots from Zarza and producers like Jhonatan Gasca being used by baristas in competition routines, speaking to the clarity and character they're able to achieve. Jhonatan is part of a newer generation of producers pushing that standard forward. Wush Wush, a variety with roots in Ethiopia, is still fairly rare in Colombia and is known for its lighter structure and more aromatic profile when processed well.

"For this lot, only fully ripe cherries are selected. The coffee undergoes 76 hours of anaerobic fermentation, with floaters removed early on. It is then oxidised in baskets for 12 hours before moving into a submerged fermentation stage, starting with water at 60°C for 24 hours. The coffee is then dried in marquesinas over 12 to 17 days. It's a hands-on process, but one that results in a clean, expressive cup."

• Country: Colombia
• Farm: Zarza
• Producer: Jhonatan Gasca
• Region: Bruselas, Huila
• Process: Anaerobic Natural
• Altitude: 1,800 masl
• Variety: Wush Wush