Sigma Coffee Rare Varieties Discovery

Origin: Bruselas, Huila, Colombia
Producer: Jhonatan Gasca Serna
Farm: Zarza
Variety: Pacamara
Process: Thermal Shock Washed
Elevation: 1750 MASL

MEET THE PRODUCER
Jhonatan Gasca’s journey into coffee is a story of perseverance and passion. In 2010, he set out to become a professional footballer — but when that dream didn’t pan out, he turned his attention to his family’s coffee farm. After graduating from the Colombian National Technical Institute, Jhonatan began experimenting with fermentation methods. The early years were tough — his first attempts failed to impress buyers, and after several rejections, he nearly gave up.

Everything changed in 2018, when friends from El Diviso and Las Flores encouraged him to give it another go. With their guidance and support from Lohas Beans, Jhonatan rediscovered his drive — this time armed with sharper skills and renewed purpose. Today, he is recognised as one of Colombia’s most exciting young innovators in coffee processing. This Pacamara lot is a testament to his resilience and dedication, and we’re thrilled to feature it once again.

TRUST THE PROCESS
Ripe coffee cherries are first placed in 200-litre fermentation tanks filled with water to remove floaters and impurities. After draining, Jhonatan hand-sorts the cherries once more for quality and uniformity. The sorted cherries are then oxidised in open bags for 48 hours, developing depth and sweetness before being sealed for 150 hours of anaerobic fermentation.

During this stage, lactic acid bacteria and other microorganisms feed on the sugars within the mucilage, intensifying the coffee’s fruit-forward character. Once fermentation is complete, the cherries undergo a “thermal shock” washing: hot water at 50°C opens the bean’s pores and halts microbial activity, followed immediately by a cold rinse at 20°C to seal the flavours in place. Finally, the coffee is dried on raised African beds for two weeks, closely monitored for temperature and humidity.

TAKE A SIP
This is a coffee that blurs the lines between natural and washed processing — juicy, sweet, and clean, with both precision and playfulness in the cup. The aroma opens with cherry blossom florals, followed by a burst of peach iced tea brightness. As it cools, it deepens into notes of raspberry ganache and dark chocolate truffle — red fruit and sweetness in perfect harmony, without any overwhelming funk.

TASTES LIKE
🌸 Cherry Blossom – delicate and aromatic florals that open the cup with elegance
🍑 Peach Tea – bright, refreshing, and softly sweet with a silky texture
🍫 Chocolate Ganache – rich and smooth, adding depth and a creamy sweetness
🍓 Raspberry – juicy, vibrant red fruit acidity that ties everything together beautifully

What is the roast recency?

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 6-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12 - should we have any left in stock!). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.

Colombia — Marlon Bolaños "The Three Coffee Farmers" Pink Bourbon (Double Fermentation Honey)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Yuzu • 🍯 Raw Honey • 🍊 Bergamot

DETAILS

• Producer: Marlon Bolaños (The Three Coffee Farmers)
• Region: Huila, Colombia
• Varietal: Pink Bourbon
• Process: Honey — 48h in-cherry barrel ferment, depulped, 48h bulk barrel ferment, 10–15 days raised-bed drying
• Harvest: Late harvest lot

INTRO From Marlon Bolaños's project "The Three Coffee Farmers" — some of the highest quality coming out of Huila. Intensely bright, sweet citric acidity like yuzu lemonade opens the cup, cooling to a rounded raw honey note, before an array of florals and delicate stonefruit rise as it fully cools — a nod to Pink Bourbon's Ethiopian heritage. In the cup: yuzu, raw honey, and bergamot.

THE PRODUCER Marlon Bolaños grew up in a coffee-producing family but didn't take a real interest until age 17, when he enrolled in a barista education course at SENA, learning brewing, green coffee grading, and sensory analysis. He returned and began planting differentiated varietals — pink bourbon, gesha, chiroso — while experimenting with new fermentation techniques each harvest. Today the farm is owned by Marlon and his two brothers, Pedro and Hemerson, with Marlon overseeing quality control, fermentation protocols, sampling, and logistics. He's also competed and won in several barista and brewing competitions, using spring water from the family farm — nicknamed "Champion's Water" by peers for its natural trace mineral composition, ideal for brewing.

THE PROCESS This late harvest Pink Bourbon underwent a double fermentation similar to Marlon's washed Gesha process: cherries were sealed in plastic barrels without water for 48 hours, then depulped and bulk-fermented in barrels for another 48 hours, before drying for 10-15 days on raised beds as a honey.

The double in-cherry-then-depulped barrel fermentation is the defining step — it's what builds the intense citric yuzu brightness up front, while allowing the raw honey and delicate floral-stonefruit complexity to emerge as the cup cools.

THE CUP Bright and evolving — intense citric acidity like yuzu lemonade up front, cooling into a rounded raw honey note, then opening into florals and delicate stonefruit — apricot, bergamot, and jasmine — settling into a juicy yet tea-like brew.

Flavour Notes 🍋 Yuzu 🍯 Raw Honey 🍊 Bergamot

Colombia — Esencia Pura Cooperative La Unión Geisha (Anaerobic Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Dried Apricot • 🌸 Jasmine • 🍊 Citrus

DETAILS

• Producer: Esencia Pura Cooperative
• Group: La Unión Crop Management
• Region: Nariño, Colombia
• Varietal: Geisha
• Process: Anaerobic Washed
• Score: 88
• Altitude: 2,100 masl
• Harvest: 2026

INTRO An exceptional Geisha cultivated with dedication by the Esencia Pura cooperative within the La Unión Crop Management group, perched at 2,100 meters in the majestic mountains of Nariño. A brilliant cup opens with the fruity sweetness of dried apricot, paired with the floral scent of enchanting jasmine and citrus vivacity. In the cup: dried apricot, jasmine, and citrus.

THE PRODUCER Grown in a unique volcanic terroir where ancestral indigenous know-how endures, this coffee comes from a collaborative, highly precise effort by the Esencia Pura cooperative.

THE PROCESS This lot undergoes anaerobic fermentation meticulously adjusted between 36 and 96 hours depending on the surrounding climate, before being washed. Drying then takes place gently under parabolic dryers for 10 to 25 days, ensuring a slow, stable reduction in moisture.

The climate-adjusted 36–96 hour anaerobic fermentation window is the defining step — it's what builds the dried apricot sweetness and jasmine florality that define this cup, while the slow parabolic drying keeps the citrus vivacity clean and precise.

THE CUP Brilliant and precise — dried apricot sweetness opens the cup, paired with an enchanting jasmine florality and a citrus vivacity throughout. Medium acidity, a silky body, and a light roast let this collaborative, high-precision lot shine.

Flavour Notes 🍑 Dried Apricot 🌸 Jasmine 🍊 Citrus

Panama — Tierra Blanca Pacamara (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Dried Apricot • 🍎 Red Apple • 🍵 Black Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Tierra Blanca (Kyle Snider & Larry Kolek)
• Region: Volcán Barú slopes, Panama
• Varietal: Pacamara
• Process: Natural (anaerobic fermentation, 2 days)
• Altitude: 1,400 masl
• Harvest: February 2026

INTRO
A natural Pacamara from Tierra Blanca, founded on the slopes of Volcán Barú. In the cup: dried apricot, red apple, and black tea.

THE PRODUCER
Tierra Blanca was founded in 2017 by Kyle Snider and Larry Kolek on the slopes of Volcán Barú. Today they operate six farms across Panama, growing coffee through sustainable farming practices. In 2024 the project made its Best of Panama debut and finished fifth in the Washed Geisha category.

THE PROCESS
The natural Pacamara was fermented anaerobically in tank for two days, then dried on raised beds until the moisture content reached 18%. It was then moved to a drying room for a further 40 days before being rested in storage.

The two-day anaerobic tank ferment followed by a 40-day drying-room finish is the defining combination. It builds the dried-fruit sweetness behind the apricot and apple character.

THE CUP
Sweet and tea-like: dried apricot leads, with red apple through the middle and a black tea finish.

Flavour Notes
🍑 Dried Apricot 🍎 Red Apple 🍵 Black Tea

Colombia — Pablo Andrés Guerrero Hacienda El Obraje Geisha, Lot #163 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍊 Mandarin • 🌸 Floral • 🍊 Orange • 🎋 Sugarcane

DETAILS

• Producer: Pablo Andrés Guerrero (Hacienda El Obraje)
• Region: Tangua, Nariño, Colombia
• Varietal: Geisha
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,000–2,300 masl
• Lot: #163 (2026, not the 2021 competition lot)
• Roast Profile: Lighter roast (Reserve line, 50g)

INTRO
A washed Geisha from the farm behind the 2021 Colombia Cup of Excellence winner. In the cup: mandarin and orange, florals, and a clean sugarcane sweetness.

THE PRODUCER
Hacienda El Obraje sits on the slope of a dormant volcano in Tangua, in the far south of Nariño. For generations the Guerrero family grew wheat here; when cheap imports made grain unviable, Pablo Andrés Guerrero, an architect from Pasto, bet the land on coffee and was one of the first in the area to plant it. Of nearly 90 hectares he keeps only about 35 in coffee and has turned the rest into a natural forest reserve, planting trees to protect the farm's microclimate. Days reach 32°C at noon and nights fall to 8°C or lower, a swing that builds dense beans and a clean, layered acidity. In 2021 his washed Geisha won the Colombia Cup of Excellence with 90.61 points, and his lots are still chosen by competitors around the world. Mazelab first roasted El Obraje in 2023 and keeps coming back.

THE PROCESS
The cherries are picked by hand and rest 40 hours in open bags before being floated, sorted, and pulped. The wet parchment then ferments 36 hours in dry sealed tanks, is washed in clean water, and dries for 18 days in a parabolic greenhouse.

The 40-hour open-bag rest followed by a 36-hour dry sealed-tank ferment is the defining combination. It builds the clean, layered citrus acidity and sugarcane sweetness behind this cup.

THE CUP
Clean and layered: mandarin and orange lead, with florals and a clean sugarcane sweetness.

Flavour Notes
🍊 Mandarin 🌸 Floral 🍊 Orange 🎋 Sugarcane