A layered and complex Gesha with floral notes of plumeria, rich guava jam, pineapple, and coffee cherry, complemented by tamarind-like brightness and a lingering pear brandy finish.
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Producer: Herbert Peñaloza - Finca El Bocadillo
Region: Agua De Dios, Casabianca, Tolima, Colombia
Harvest: Spring 2026
Varietal(s): Gesha
Process: Natural Process
Altitude: 1900 masl
Sourcing Partner: La Real Expedición Botánica
Importer: Bold Bean
Agrton Gourmet Color: 104 (light)
Recommended Resting Time: 2-3 weeks
Before Herbert Peñaloza purchased El Bocadillo, the property had a long history in coffee. Some of the producers who now belong to Caficultores Diferenciados del Norte del Tolima (CDNT), a local producers association Herbert helped found, once worked there. Following the death of its original owner, the farm fell into disuse and eventually became cattle pasture. Some 30 years later, Herbert purchased the property from his neighbor and fellow CDNT member, Doña Leonela, with plans to bring coffee production back to the land.
Herbert's experience establishing his first farm shaped his approach to El Bocadillo. Having previously cleared forest to make room for coffee, he wanted to reverse that process, building a forest to support the coffee rather than removing one to plant it. Planting began in 2017, with Gesha introduced in 2019. Since then, Herbert has introduced more than 20 species of trees (planting more trees than coffee plants) and gradually transforming the former pasture into a diverse, forested ecosystem. Along with various fruit trees and yucca, Herbert also produces sugar cane on the farm, which he harvests and distills for his rum brand, Cinconudos.
Over the years, Herbert has become a close friend, and his vision continues to inspire us. We've been visiting the farm with him since before the first coffee trees were planted, giving us a firsthand perspective on its remarkable transformation. What we've watched take shape over the years is a testament to his commitment to growing exceptional coffee in harmony with the land rather than at its expense.
Herbert is the founder of both Cafecultores Diferenciados del Norte del Tolima (CDNT), a producers organization made up of his neighbors and coffee producing colleagues, and the coffee processing and exporting collective, La Real Expedición Botántica (LaREB). He is a visionary in regenerative agriculture, reforestation, coffee production and roasting, rum production and supply chain equity. We are proud to call him a friend and to roast and present his coffee to you.
Gesha, the world's most storied and sought after coffee varietal, traces it's roots to the Gori Gesha coffee forest in Ethiopia where it grew native and wild possibly for millennia before being identified as a potential varietal for commercial cultivation in the 1930's. Upon this identification, seeds were collected and sent to the Tengeru Coffee Research Station in Tanzania where the varietal was planted and stabilized.
In 1953 Gesha seeds were sent to Costa Rica and the varietal spread to other Latin American countries throughout the 1960's. Though, due to the variety's low production it was not a favored varietal until the rise of specialty coffee in the early 2000's.
After a Panamanian Gesha from the Peterson family received, a then world record price of, $350/lb at the Best of Panama competition in 2005 a new light was shined on Gesha for its potential cup quality and resulting high value.
In subsequent years the varietal has been planted throughout Latin America, Africa and Aisa by quality-focused producers looking to tap into the super-premium and botique coffee markets. It's typical for a Gesha varietal to break worldwide price records year after year with the most recent price record broken in 2024 by the Lamastus family, also in Panama, for a Gesha that sold at auction for $6,034/lb.
The flavor profile and the high demand for the somewhat rare availability of Gesha are the main drivers of the incredibly high prices. In the cup, Gesha is known for an incredible and complex flavor profile focused on floral and citrus aromas. This usually presents itself as jasmine, lime, tropical fruit, tea, honey, melon. The aroma if a truly great Gesha is intoxicating and should not be missed by any coffee lover. aturra, Pink Bourbon and Gesha, exceptional Castillo lots can be remarkably complex and expressive. Hilario Castrillón's coffee is a great example, showing pronounced sweetness, floral aromatics and bright acidity alongside a slightly wild character that makes the cup particularly distinctive.
Hilario uses a fed-batch, semi-washed process, combining cherries harvested over two consecutive days before fermenting them whole for 48 hours in a closed container. After fermentation, the coffee is depulped and lightly washed, leaving some mucilage intact rather than removing it completely.
The coffee is then dried slowly in a greenhouse for more than 20 days. The combination of whole-cherry fermentation, minimal washing and extended drying contributes to the coffee’s complex, fruit-driven character and lively acidity while maintaining excellent clarity.
Casabianca lies along the eastern slopes of Colombia’s Central Andes, in northern Tolima, where steep mountain terrain, volcanic geology, and a network of streams and river valleys shape the agricultural landscape. The region's rugged topography creates a patchwork of microclimates, with variations in rainfall, sun exposure, and temperature across neighboring hillsides. Coffee is cultivated among a diverse landscape of small farms, forested slopes, and mountain watersheds, reflecting the environmental complexity of this part of the Colombian Andes.
The municipality extends toward the slopes of Nevado del Ruiz, an active volcano whose geological history has helped shape the surrounding terrain. The Gualí and Azufrado river systems carve through this landscape, connecting mountain watersheds with the agricultural valleys below. This combination of volcanic influence, complex drainage patterns, and varied hillside exposures gives Casabianca a distinctive growing environment within northern Tolima.
