This Gesha is the highest scoring coffee we've ever had at Skylark.

The Lazo (aka Lasso) family are famous around the world for their incredible coffees and innovative processing methods. We've featured coffees from them before and they're always amazing, so we are delighted to share more of their superlative production this year... Just in time for the holiday season. We've got 4 new coffees from them this time-- a Gesha, a Sidra, a Pink Bourbon Washed, and a Pink Bourbon Natural. Each of them stunning and distinct.

But back to this Gesha... It is really, truly special. The first sip has loads of delicate yet juicy sweet-and-fruity strawberry notes mingling with a jasmine and purple basil herbaceousness that finishes off with the sparkling effervescence of bubbly rosé. As the coffee cools you'll get notes of violet, clover honey, Lady Grey tea, and meadow sunshine... This coffee is well-structured, complex, and absolutely the sort of coffee that could reach the finals of the World Barista Championship in the right hands.

Here's a bit more about the farm for anyone who needs a primer on the Lasso operation:

The Lazo family is made up of a group of parents and siblings, all passionate coffee producers in San Adolfo (Huila). They have faced many challenges to achieve their dreams, including rebuilding their entire farm after a devasting fire. Their father's determination has seen them through each challenge, and the whole family is involved in coffee production. Mum finds joy in gardening, while the grown kids specialise in different aspects of the business such as drying, processing, and commercialization. They have turned their farm into a world-renowned platform for speciality coffee with exceptional and exquisite flavours and aromas. Despite the hard times they never gave up, and their dedication and passion have allowed them to provide a promising new way of life and education for their children's future. Today the entire family continues this legacy, making sure Wilder Lazo's coffee is distinguished among the strictest palates. Lazo's history is a reminder of the importance of perseverance and working hard with love. His farm is a charming place, the beautiful result of an entire family's effort and passion. 

Wilder himself is a well of knowledge when it comes to genetics and processes. He focuses on bringing out the true characteristics of each varietal, refining its genetics by selecting the right seeds and incorporating fermentations and post-harvest processes that highlight its special attributes. This knowledge comes from Wilder’s past career in bovine genetics, where he dedicated many years to travelling across America to study and improve cattle breeds. Wilder realised his family coffee farm was suffering because of poor coffee genetics, so he diverted his knowledge towards coffee. This move ended up saving his family’s farm, El Diviso, and allowed him to buy Bella Alejandria in 2016. 

Wilder recently joined the El Placer Farms Project because of his close friendship with Sebastian Ramirez, director of El Placer. He is excited to have more contact with the roasteries and coffee drinkers who get to enjoy his delicious harvests.

To process this sumptuous Gesha, the cherries were selected through flotation. They were then submerged inside plastic tanks with the mucilage of other Gesha and SL28 cherries. The coffee stayed there for 7 days without allowing the pH to go below 5, and then the cherries were rinsed and laid on patios for a drying period of approximately 25 days. After drying was finished, the coffee was stored for stabilization before threshing and exporting.