Juan Pablo Ortiz | Peru

Peru — Juan Pablo Ortiz La Estella Gesha (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌸 Apple Blossom • 🍈 Lychee • 🍈 Honeydew

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Pablo Ortiz
• Farm: La Estella
• Region: Vilcabamba, Peru
• Varietal: Gesha
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,100 MASL
• Harvest: November 2025

INTRO

From Juan Pablo Ortiz's tiny garden at La Estella in Vilcabamba — a third-year Gesha plot of just 100 trees, managed with extraordinary dedication and a clear ambition to show the world what this corner of Peru is capable of. In the cup: apple blossom, lychee, and honeydew — the hallmark elegance of Gesha at its most transparent.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Pablo Ortiz represents a new generation of Peruvian producers committed to cultivating exceptional coffee at extreme elevation. His garden at La Estella is planted entirely with Gesha and is only in its third year of production — a remarkably early stage at which to be producing coffee of this quality and international recognition. Juan Pablo's focus on Vilcabamba is deliberate and purposeful: a region with the altitude, microclimate, and ambition to compete at the very highest levels of the specialty market, and a producer determined to help put it there.

Gesha's journey to its current status as one of the world's most celebrated coffee varieties began in the forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s, passed through research stations in Tanzania and Costa Rica, and arrived in Panama in the 1960s — where it remained largely overlooked until the Peterson family entered it into the Best of Panama competition in 2005. It broke auction records, redefined the ceiling for green coffee pricing, and has since become the benchmark variety for brewing and roasting competition winners worldwide. At 2,100 MASL in Vilcabamba, it finds conditions that allow its signature florality and delicate complexity to express themselves fully.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at La Estella involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness 💧 Flotation — Floated to remove defects before processing 🔧 De-pulping — Depulped on the day of harvest to preserve freshness and clarity 🧪 Dry fermentation — Fermented dry for 32 hours 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed to remove all fermentation residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds to optimal moisture content

The 32-hour dry fermentation is the defining step — fermented without water, this controlled period develops complexity and depth in the cup while the same-day depulping and thorough washing preserve the pristine clarity and delicate aromatic precision that make this Gesha so compelling.

THE CUP

A pristine and deeply elegant washed Gesha from one of Vilcabamba's most dedicated young producers — apple blossom florality, lychee sweetness, and a cool honeydew finish that speaks of both the extraordinary altitude and Juan Pablo's meticulous approach at every stage. A remarkable third-year harvest from a farm and a region with everything ahead of it.

Flavour Notes

🌸 Apple Blossom 🍈 Lychee 🍈 Honeydew