Peru — Luis Salas El Paraíso Gesha (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Yellow Tropical Fruit • 🍑 White Peach • 🌸 Jasmine

DETAILS

• Producer: Luis Salas
• Farm: El Paraíso
• Region: Pampa Rosario, Cusco, Peru
• Varietal: Gesha
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,050 MASL
• Harvest: November 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

A second year purchasing Luis Salas's Gesha separation from El Paraíso in Cusco — the producer and the extraordinary florality of his coffee being the very reason SEY were first drawn to the Santa Teresa region. A young farm, Panamanian-sourced seeds, and fully organic growing practices at over 2,000 MASL in the high Andes: the result is a rare and beautiful expression of Gesha that is both a privilege to work with and a privilege to drink. In the cup: yellow tropical fruit, white peach, and jasmine.

THE PRODUCER

Luis Salas's farm at El Paraíso is still young — planted in 2021, with trees now five years old and producing for three. Dedicated entirely to Gesha and cultivated using fully organic practices across just 1.5 hectares, the farm reflects Luis's singular focus on quality over volume. The original seeds were sourced directly from Panama, and at this stage of the trees' development — where quality truly begins to shine — this lot is the clearest expression yet of what El Paraíso is capable of.

Gesha's journey began in the coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s, passed through research stations in Tanzania and Central America, 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, reset expectations for what coffee could be worth, and has since become the most celebrated variety in specialty coffee. In Luis Salas's hands at 2,050 MASL in Cusco, it finds a new and compelling home.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at El Paraíso 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 36 hours ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds for 20 days

The 36-hour dry fermentation is the defining step — fermenting without water for an extended period builds the complex aromatic depth and vivid fruit character that define this Gesha, while the same-day depulping and 20-day raised-bed drying ensure a pristine, transparent result that allows every floral and fruit note to emerge with full clarity.

THE CUP

A rare and genuinely beautiful washed Gesha from the high Andes of southern Peru — yellow tropical fruit vibrancy, delicate white peach sweetness, and a lingering jasmine florality that reveals the full elegance of Panamanian-lineage Gesha grown with organic care at altitude. A coffee that draws you back to a region and a producer with everything still ahead of them.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Yellow Tropical Fruit 🍑 White Peach 🌸 Jasmine