La Karola Geisha

Costa Rica  - La Karola Geisha Natural

Varietal –  Geisha
Preparation – Natural
Location – San Pedro, Tarrazu
Altitude – 1500-1900 masl
Importer - Horsham Coffee Roaster

We are super excited to be sourcing our Costa Rican Tarrazu coffees directly. We source our Costa Rican coffees directly in partnership with Selva Coffee, a small exporter representing a select group of coffee producers that we first visited in February 2020. These producers are located in the West Valley, Central Valley and Tarrazu region of Costa Rica.  You can read more about our direct trade coffees in our Transparency Report. 

Farm Overview

This stunning natural comes from a small section of the farm planted with Geisha varietal trees. The Mora family owns the farm and covers an area of 4 hectares in total split into different farm sections. The family has owned the farm since 1960 and is now managed by Steven Mora. It's a family operation, and his parents and sisters are also involved in the production of their coffee. 

Steven and his sisters:

The 4-hectare farm is planted mainly with the Catuai varietal although they are experimenting with some other varietals, including Geisha, in small amounts. They are focused on working in harmony with nature and don't use pesticides or herbicides on the farm. When we visited in December 2022 we were so impressed by the amount of wildlife in and around their farm and spotted many bird nests in the coffee trees which is always a great sign!


The view across the farm:

Harvesting and Processing:

This stunning microlot comes from Geisha varietal trees planted on a small section of the farm. The coffee was carefully hand harvested ensuring only ripe cherry was selected. After harvest the coffee was floated using a water-based system that removes defects.

Cherry was then laid out to dry on raised beds under a solar dryer, a type of open-sided greenhouse. This protects the coffee from harsh direct sunlight and keeps it dry just in case of rain. The drying process took 25 days and during daytime hours the coffee was turned every 45 minutes and any noticeable defects were removed by hand. Once dried the coffee was packed into large plastic bags and stored for 1 month before the fruit was removed.

Tasting Notes:

This is a stunning high cup score natural processed Geisha varietal. You can expect a wide range of complex tasting notes, including peach, raspberry and honey

Brewing:

This coffee works well for all brew methods. 

Filter: Dose 15g, water 250g. 

Espresso: Dose 17 gram to 40 gram yield over about 30 seconds. 

This coffee is available as whole bean and pre-ground, but we recommend always grinding fresh before brewing. We sell a range of grinders if you would like to grind this coffee fresh at home.