Introduction to Finca El Esperanza in Colombia's Cauca Valley: What are the Characteristics of Finca El Esperanza's Geisha Coffee?

Introducing Finca Esperanza's Sun-Dried Gesha

Recently, FrontStreet Coffee acquired a sun-dried Gesha coffee bean from Colombia's Finca Esperanza. After brewing, it reveals blueberry and dark plum aromatics, with flavors of blackcurrant juice, orange, and berry fruits upon entry. The coffee offers a rich juice-like body and a wine-like aftertaste.

The Prestigious Finca Esperanza Estate

This Gesha coffee bean comes from a renowned Colombian estate with a long cultivation history: Cafe Granja La Esperanza, which translates beautifully to "Hope" in Chinese. Over the past decade, Finca Esperanza has won more than 60 awards at major coffee competitions worldwide. It's a regular participant in Colombia's green coffee competitions and has even competed in Panama's BOP competition, winning awards.

Finca Esperanza isn't just a single plantation – the estate owns five sub-farms in Colombia: Potosí, Cerro Azul, Las Margatitas, La Esperanza, and Hawaii. Except for Hawaii, which is located in the Cundinamarca department, the rest are situated in the Valle de Cauca department.

The Foundation and Growth

Finca Esperanza was established by the couple Blanca Ligia Correa and Juan Antonio Herrera. Initially, the couple worked on a farm called Potosí through labor allocation, where they developed a strong interest in specialty coffee production. This led them to directly acquire the Potosí farm.

At that time, Potosí Farm primarily cultivated the Typica variety. However, Mr. Herrera hoped to cultivate more excellent specialty coffee varieties, so in 1945, they acquired new land near Potosí and established Finca Esperanza (La Esperanza), specifically introducing other conventional varieties including Yellow Bourbon, Bourbon, and Caturra.

Finca Esperanza is situated at an altitude ranging from 1,400 to 1,860 meters. Under the influence of valley air currents, the area enjoys mild temperatures between 17°C and 22°C and abundant rainfall, with an annual precipitation reaching up to 1,340mm. During their management of the estate, the couple had 14 children, expanding the entire family. Among these children, Rigoberto and Luis showed great interest and talent in coffee cultivation and began taking over the family's estate management.

Global Recognition and Expansion

Additionally, in 2007, Rigoberto rented a coffee farm in Boquete, Panama, to cultivate the Gesha variety. In 2008, he won the championship at Best of Panama (BOP), followed by a second-place finish in 2009. This remarkable achievement helped Finca Esperanza gain significant fame worldwide.

Later, Rigoberto introduced Gesha to Finca Esperanza in Colombia. With the expansion of operations, he successively acquired three major plots: Cerro Azul, Las Margatitas, and Hawaii (the Gesha acquired by FrontStreet Coffee comes from the Las Margatitas plot). The total area of these five estates is 150 hectares, with varying cultivation altitudes ranging from 1,400 to 2,000 meters. Today, in addition to the original traditional varieties, Finca Esperanza also grows Gesha, Sidra, as well as coffee trees selected or mutated by the estate itself.

Geographical Significance

Currently, Finca Esperanza is mainly concentrated in the Valle de Cauca department (named after the nearby famous Cauca River), which was once a core coffee region in Colombia. Located in central Colombia, the area benefits from unique mountainous terrain and climate, featuring two dry seasons and two rainy seasons annually, thus offering two coffee harvest seasons. During the era when production was paramount, it received significant government attention. However, with the rise of specialty coffee, Colombia's coffee core shifted southward. Despite this, Valle de Cauca still hosts many renowned estates focused on coffee cultivation and processing research, such as Finca Esperanza and Inmortal, striving to drive the development of the local coffee industry.

Professional Team and Processing Excellence

As a team established for 76 years, Finca Esperanza employs PhD botanists, three professional cuppers, and over 100 staff members to manage its estates. Among them, chief botanist Hernando Tapasco established weather stations on the estate to track weather data and assist in harvest decisions. Farm data is continuously collected and analyzed weekly. After harvesting, they compare weather data, production data, and cupping data to analyze correlations.

Furthermore, Gesha cherry harvesters receive strict training, harvesting only mature cherry fruits. They are paid daily wages, unlike other estates that compensate by weight. To prevent workers from rushing and harvesting unqualified cherries, half of the harvesters have over six years of experience. After harvesting, the cherries are immediately transported to the central processing plant within Finca Esperanza, with each batch of Gesha marked and processed separately. They first undergo a three-day pre-drying stage in the sun-drying field before being moved to small towers for further drying.

Innovation and Variety Development

In terms of experimentation and innovation with coffee varieties, Finca Esperanza is relentless, continuously testing novel high-quality varieties. Beyond Caturra, which originally occupied most of the estate's area, various varieties have successively appeared in the estate, including Gesha, Organic Gesha, Mocha, Bourbon (including red, yellow, and Tekisik varieties), Laurina, Pacamara, San Bernardo, and Pache. This demonstrates the team's tremendous passion for the specialty coffee industry.

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