juan peña - ecuador washed geisha

Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Geisha (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍵 Bergamot • 🌸 Jasmine • 🍑 White Peach

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro Formation, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Geisha (Panamanian Lineage)
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800–2,200 MASL
• Roast: Light
• Direct: $83.77/kg
• Size: 100g

INTRO

A third year featuring Juan Peña and Hacienda La Papaya — and a Geisha of rare beauty. Incredibly creamy in body, clean yet intense in its florality, and very limited in availability. In the cup: bergamot, jasmine, and juicy white peaches — a profile of extraordinary delicacy and precision from one of Ecuador's most celebrated and internationally decorated producers.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Peña is the pioneer of specialty coffee cultivation in the Saraguro region of Loja — the founder of Hacienda La Papaya and an agronomist-led operation whose vision from the outset has been uncompromising quality at every stage. The farm planted its first Geisha in 2018 using seeds sourced directly from Boquete, Panama — one of the most celebrated Gesha-producing regions on earth — and has been developing the variety under the precise conditions of Loja's southern Andean highlands ever since.

Hacienda La Papaya exported its first harvest in 2014, and by 2015 was already placing in the top three of major international coffee competitions in the United States. Juan has won three consecutive Sprudge Notable Producer awards, recognising Hacienda La Papaya as one of the world's most important specialty farms. The operation employs exclusive varietals, drip irrigation, agronomist-managed processes, and rigorous quality control at every stage — from seed selection through to export.

The Geisha at La Papaya requires high nutritional management and medium-high productivity — grown without shade as long as adequate humidity and nutrition are maintained, at elevations ranging from 1,800 to 2,200 MASL across the Saraguro Formation, where the cool Andean climate builds the aromatic concentration and delicate complexity that define this lot.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Geisha cherries selectively harvested at optimal ripeness 💧 Flotation & density sorting — Sorted by flotation and density to ensure uniform fermentation and a balanced cup 🔧 Pulping — Outer skin and pulp removed using manual or electric pulping machines, leaving mucilage intact on the bean 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented with mucilage present 💧 Spring water washing — Parchment washed in spring water to ensure complete removal of residual mucilage and organisms ☀️ Drying — Dried for 9–18 days depending on weather and altitude

The spring water washing is the defining step — using spring water rather than conventional water sources for the final wash ensures exceptional cleanliness and purity in the cup, preserving the delicate bergamot and jasmine aromatics and creamy white peach character that make this Geisha so distinctive.

THE CUP

An extraordinarily delicate and beautifully creamy washed Geisha from Ecuador's most celebrated specialty farm — bergamot refinement, jasmine florality, and juicy white peach sweetness in a light-bodied, floral cup of exceptional precision and purity. Very limited — and unmistakably worth it.

Flavour Notes

🍵 Bergamot 🌸 Jasmine 🍑 White Peach