Hacienda La Esmeralda - Jaramillo
The Jaramillo mountain air is wet and cold, perfect for making the aromatics of the Geisha variety sing. Though Geisha variety coffees had been planted sporadically across the area, a lot separated out from a tiny region on this farm led to the rediscovery of Geisha.
The farm rises from rolling hills on its lower part to steep 40-degree inclines higher up, making harvesting a manual and challenging affair. Coffee had been planted on the lower parts of the farm—as many as 15 different sub-varieties, hybrids out of Costa Rica and Brazil—and in 1997, the Peterson family decided to plant higher up.
At these high altitudes, the Geisha’s bright, floral aromatics express themselves. With cooler temperatures and massive shade trees that have been standing for ages, Jaramillo is the perfect place for this variety to grow. To this day, many of Hacienda La Esmeralda’s top-performing micro lots of Geisha coffee come from little patches on the slopes of Jaramillo.