Blind Assessment

Delicate in the nose, syrupy in the cup, quietly complex throughout. Honey, distinct dark chocolate, lemon zest, peach, violet in aroma and cup. Richly and complexly expressed acidity; full, lightly syrupy mouthfeel. A mildly drying but long and resonant finish, with pleasing hints of the peach and violet persisting.

Notes

The unpredictability of coffee is confirmed once again with this striking sample, produced from trees that are apparently a spontaneous hybrid involving the famous Gesha (also Geisha) variety of Arabica. The producers Granja la Esperanza brought Gesha plant material from Panama, where this celebrated variety was first rediscovered, to Colombia, where they established it on their farm Cerro Azul. Some of the trees proved not to resemble the trees of the classic Gesha, however; they grew smaller and denser. The producers have given the name “Enano” or dwarf to this apparent hybrid of Gesha. Based on the slim evidence of the two samples of the Enano we have tested at Coffee Review, the result in the cup is a profile similar to the finest examples of bonafide Gesha, though perhaps a bit less intense in its Geshaness. Founded in 1995, Equator Coffees & Teas is a women-owned wholesale coffee roasting company with web-based retail and two recently-established cafés plus more on the way. Equator focuses on sustainability in coffee sourcing and business practices. Visit www.equatorcoffees.com or call 800-809-7687 for more information.

Who Should Drink It

Some may prefer this quieter version of the Gesha cup; still exotic and complex, but a bit more chocolate, fewer flowers, less forward acidity. And for a coffee this distinguished and this close in expression to the famous and rare Gesha, an excellent value: in other words, quite a bit of Geshaness for relatively little money.

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