Cedrela Geisha – Black Honey Process | Tarrazú, Costa Rica
We’re excited to bring you this stunning Geisha variety from Cedrela, a farm nestled high in the mountains of Copey, in Costa Rica’s renowned Tarrazú region. This marks our second year sourcing from Cedrela, and it’s been incredibly rewarding to build a more personal relationship with the farm, including getting to know Jorge Ureña’s daughter (Celeste), who’s actively involved in the family’s coffee journey.
Jorge is a third-generation coffee farmer and has ensured his farm is family-ran. Grown at an elevation of 2,000 meters, the coffee thrives in the shade of banana, guava, poró, citrus, and avocado trees. This kind of biodiversity creates the ideal microclimate for growing exceptional coffee and you can taste it in the cup.
Though we’ve previously worked with Cedrela’s Catuai, this Geisha is something special. It’s been honey processed, a method that leaves the sticky-sweet mucilage on the bean during drying. Not only does this add complexity to the cup, but it’s also more sustainable using less water than washed processes. After harvesting, the cherries are hand-selected, depulped, and then left with the mucilage intact before being laid out on sunbeds for about 15 days to dry. From there, the coffee is allowed to rest for 30 days, a crucial stage that helps the flavors settle and round out.
Once rested, the parchment layer is removed and the beans are sorted by size, shape, and density, preparing them for export and grading. Each step is handled with intention a testament to the care Jorge and his family put into their work.
