Coffee Archive

Sparkling and complex. Tasting like jasmine, lemongrass, sweet citrus and rosé wine. A beautifully expressive Geisha.

Origin: Colombia
Region: Huila
Producer: Las Marías Estate
Elevation: 1800 - 2050 masl
Variety: Geisha
Process: Washed 

• Selective Harvesting: Cherries are picked at their ripest stage, ensuring a 20 Brix grade sugar level for optimal sweetness.
• First Fermentation: Whole cherries are placed in a closed tank for 12 hours, allowing initial fermentation to develop nuanced flavors.
• Pulping & Second Fermentation: The cherries are pulped without water and transferred to an open tank, where they ferment without water for 24 hours.
• First Wash & Third Fermentation: After washing and draining, the coffee undergoes another 24-hour open-air fermentation.
• Final Wash & Drying: Once the second fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed again and carefully dried in raised African beds for approximately 25 days, ensuring a controlled temperature below 35°C to achieve a 10-11% moisture content.

José Giraldo is a third-generation coffee producer who has spent the past decade transforming his family’s commercial coffee heritage into a benchmark of ultra-specialty coffee excellence. Together with his wife, María Rivera, he leads Las Marías Estate, a farm dedicated to the integration of science, advanced genetics, and sustainability to produce exceptional microlots recognized on a global stage.

Located in Colombia, the 23-hectare Las Marías Estate is home to a carefully curated collection of rare and exotic coffee varieties. The farm cultivates 9,000 Typica trees over 70 years old, second- and third-generation Geisha trees developed through rigorous genetic selection, as well as Orange Striped Wush Wush and micro Mokka varieties—each chosen for its unique sensory potential and cup complexity. Over ten years of research at the family’s El Danubio Estate, José Giraldo evaluated 46 Geisha progenies, refining them through multiple generations to establish competition-grade genetics that set new standards in quality.

Las Marías Estate blends tradition with scientific innovation. The farm benefits from the expertise of Germán Giraldo, PhD in Food Science, whose work in osmotic drying and fermentation science has helped refine advanced post-harvest processes. These techniques, combined with the estate’s preserved natural microbiota and surrounding native forest, enhance the depth, clarity, and complexity of each coffee produced.

The estate’s coffees have gained international recognition, reaching more than 50 specialty buyers across 25 countries. Las Marías microlots are frequently selected by barista champions and professionals for competition use, reflecting the farm’s consistency, precision, and dedication to excellence.

Sustainability and biodiversity are central to the estate’s philosophy. With seven hectares of preserved native forest and a habitat supporting over 30 bird species, Las Marías Estate prioritizes environmental stewardship as an essential component of producing world-class coffees. This commitment ensures that every coffee reflects not only exceptional craftsmanship, but also respect for the land and its ecosystems.