SEY - Luis Salas

Luis is another young farm and producer from southern Peru. Rather than SL9 or ‘Inca Gesha,’ Luis Salas is cultivating Gesha with seeds sourced from Panama. Grown organically at extreme elevation in the heart of the Andes, this lot is a remarkable expression of the variety. In the cup we find lychee, apricot, delicate florals, and sparkling acidity.

ABOUT LUIS SALAS

Luis Salas’ farm is still young, planted only in 2015. Dedicated to fully organic growing practices, he cultivates a small 1.5-hectare (~3.7-acre) farm focused entirely on Gesha. The seeds were sourced directly from Panama, and with the trees now five years old—producing for three—this is the stage where quality truly begins to shine. This lot is a beautiful representation of Gesha and a rare opportunity to taste it grown in the high Andes of southern Peru.

ABOUT GESHA

Gesha was originally collected from coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930's. From there, it was sent to the Lyamungo Research Station in Tanzania, and then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in the 1953, where it was logged as accession T2722. It was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE in the 1960’s after its tolerance to coffee leaf rust was recognized. However, it was not widely planted because the plant's branches were brittle and not favored by farmers. Gesha came to prominence in 2005, when the Peterson family of Boquete, Panama, entered it into the Best of Panama competition and auction. It received exceptionally high marks and broke the then-record for green coffee auction prices, selling for over $20 per pound. Since then, the variety has become a resounding favorite of brewing and roasting competition winners and coffee enthusiasts alike.