Peña de Leon Gesha | Peru

Peru — Francisco Rivera Alarcon Finca Peña de Leon Gesha (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍵 Bergamot • 🍑 Peach • 🍯 Honey

DETAILS

• Producer: Francisco Rivera Alarcon
• Farm: Finca Peña de Leon
• Region: Cajamarca, Peru
• Varietal: Gesha
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,850–1,950 MASL
• Certification: Organic
• Size: 200g

INTRO

From Francisco Rivera Alarcon at Finca Peña de Leon in Cajamarca — a certified organic washed Gesha of exceptional florality and refined sweetness from one of Peru's most promising high-altitude specialty farms. Floral, complex, and beautifully structured. In the cup: bergamot, peach, and honey.

THE PRODUCER

Francisco Rivera Alarcon farms Finca Peña de Leon at 1,850–1,950 MASL in the Cajamarca region of northern Peru — one of the country's most established and rapidly developing specialty coffee growing areas. The farm is organically certified and grows primarily Gesha alongside Caturra and Bourbon — a combination that reflects both Francisco's commitment to rare and quality-focused varieties and his grounding in the traditional cultivars that have defined Peruvian coffee for generations.

Cajamarca's specialty coffee reputation has grown significantly in recent years, driven by producers like Francisco who combine exceptional altitude, volcanic soils, and a cool, stable mountain climate with meticulous farming and processing practices. At 1,850–1,950 MASL, cherry development is slow and sugar concentration is high — providing the ideal foundation for the Gesha variety's hallmark florality and delicate complexity to express themselves with full clarity.

Gesha, first collected from the coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s and brought to global prominence at the 2005 Best of Panama competition, has found a compelling new chapter in Peru's high-altitude growing regions — where cool temperatures and rich organic soils create ideal conditions for the variety's intrinsic aromatic precision and delicate sweetness.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca Peña de Leon involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Gesha cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Drying — Dried to optimal moisture content

The meticulous washed processing is the defining step — by stripping back all fruit influence, the process allows the intrinsic bergamot florality, peach sweetness, and honey character of the Gesha variety and Peña de Leon's cool Cajamarca terroir to express themselves with full transparency and precision.

THE CUP

A floral, complex, and beautifully structured organic washed Gesha from one of Cajamarca's most carefully managed high-altitude farms — bergamot refinement, peach sweetness, and a warm honey character in a clean, elegant cup that speaks clearly of Francisco Rivera Alarcon's commitment to both the land and the variety.

Flavour Notes

🍵 Bergamot 🍑 Peach 🍯 Honey