Colombia - Azahar x Covoya - Luis Alejandro Ortega Gesha

Peach, honey, orange blossom

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	24 KG BOX
Harvest Season	2024/25
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P613902-4

Carteret, NJ: Out of Stock Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

Luis Alejandro Ortega Guerrero is a second-generation coffee producer from the municipality of San Agustín, in the southern part of the department of Huila. His father established the family finca La Cabaña and eventually Luis and his seven siblings inherited the farm. Of the eight Ortega Guerrero children, six still work with coffee today. Luis and his wife Marta Jenny Bolanos have two sons of their own, ages 19 and 22, both passionate about engineering. La Cabaña spans a total of eleven hectares, eight of which are planted with coffee. Don Luis grows the Caturra, Castillo, Bourbon and Geisha varieties. His favorite of the three is the Gesha because he enjoys the distinctive cup profile. One and half hectares of La Cabaña is protected natural forest, home to a bamboo grove, as well as 20 varieties of native trees and a naturally occurring spring.

Besides coffee, the family grows pineapples, bananas, plantains, oranges, corn, beans and yucca. The coffee plantation is located at 1,750 masl; the landscape is not too steep and therefore provides ideal conditions for harvesting coffee. During the height of the harvest, Don Luis employs 20 local pickers, 70% of whom are women. This specific lot is made up of Gesha. After the cherries were carefully hand-selected for peak ripeness, they were transported to the beneficiadero where they underwent a 48-hour fermentation, followed by a traditional washed process. The parchment were then put out to dry on a marquesina for 15 days.

Country of Origin	Colombia
Region	San Agustin, Huila
Producer Type	Single Estate
Farm Name	Finca La Cabaña
Processing	Washed
Processing Description	48hr fermentation, dried in marquesinas
Growing Altitude	1750m

Harvest Season	2024/25
Bag Weight	24 KG BOX
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Gesha

History of Colombian Coffee

As with many coffee origins, it is believed that coffee was first brought to Colombia by priests, arriving, perhaps, within a decade or two after coffee first came to the Americas via the Caribbean in the first half of the 17th century. It was likely a garden crop grown for local consumption and barter for decades. Unlike other coffee regions, we have the story of a priest named Francisco Romero, who could be called the father of commercial coffee cultivation in Colombia. The folkloric tale goes that in the early 1800’s, Father Francisco, hearing confessions in the north eastern town of Salazar de la Palmas, assigned planting coffee to his parishioners as penance for their sins. The Archbishop of Colombia heard about this and ordered all priests to adopt the practice. Commercial production of coffee expanded quickly, moving into regions where the growing conditions were ideal.

Growing Coffee in Colombia

Even though it’s been 4,000 years, the soil resulting from the last major eruption of Tolima is still considered “young soil,” filled with nutrients that are no longer found at the same levels in old soil. There is a long list of elements on offer in volcanic soil that are fading or absent in other soils, such as high levels of potassium and nitrogen. Also present is something called “Boron,” which arrived from outer space a long time ago, and is important to cell walls, the creation of enzymes, and the production of flowers and fruit, meaning Boron contributes to yield. Beyond the nutrients, the structure of volcanic soil is also beneficial to coffee growing. It can soak up and hold moisture while, at the same time, facilitate good drainage so water doesn’t pool, which is not good for coffee plant roots. Coffee plants like to take a drink, then take a break. Also, volcanic soils are usually found on an incline, which also helps with drainage.