Gesha coffee beans from Finca San Pedro

Gesha coffee beans are widely renowned in the specialty coffee communityand are highly celebrated around the world. Among the coffee-growing regions that cultivate the Gesha variety,besides the well-known Panama, many other countries and regions have introduced and produced it, with Colombian Gesha often considered to have a flavor quite similar to that of Panama. The Gesha coffee beans we’re featuring today come from Colombia, a country neighboring Panama.

Colombia is the world’s third-largest coffee exporter, primarily producing Arabica beans and being the top exporter of Arabica coffee globally. The country is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds hailed as its “four treasures.” Located in the northwest of South America, Colombia shares a border with Panama in Central America. From an aerial view, its western edge looks as if a cat had taken a swipe at it—leaving three vertical claw marks running from north to south. The country’s famous coffee-growing regions are scattered among the fertile, volcanic-soil-rich Andes Mountains.

These particular Gesha beans come from the Tolima region of Colombia. Tolima borders Huila and Cauca, and is traversed by the north-south-oriented Andes Mountains (M. Andes) and Cordillera Mountains (M. Cordillera), with the Magdalena River (R. Magdalena) flowing vertically from south to north between them. The terroir here is extremely well-suited for coffee cultivation, and transportation of the beans down from the mountains is relatively convenient. Compared to other regions, Tolima’s coffee industry benefits greatly from its superior transportation infrastructure.

Finca San Pedro, in English, means San Pedro Estate. This estate is located in the village of Vereda La Marimba, which produces most of Tolima’s top-tier coffees. The son of the estate owner, Alberto, is a community leader who advocates for collaboration with neighbors to collectively improve the overall coffee quality in the area and raise the profile of the region’s specialty coffee.

The washed-process Gesha coffee from Finca San Pedro offers not only the classic floral and fruity notes typical of Gesha, but also unique characteristics distinct from those of Panamanian Gesha. While brewing, you can detect bright citrus acidity and a green tea-like freshness. When hot, the coffee has pronounced notes of cane sugar and licorice sweetness, along with subtle lemony acidity and an oolong tea-like aftertaste—almost like a cup of lemon tea. As it cools, the citrus flavors become more pronounced, while the honey and cane sugar sweetness linger. At lower temperatures, it takes on a honey-green tea-like profile. Each sip reveals the rich layers of flavor in this Gesha coffee.

That’s our introduction to Colombian Gesha coffee.