Maria Del Pilar Burneo Samaniego, La Noria - Yellow Gesha, Double Fermentation Washed

Maria Del Pilar Burneo Samaniego; La Noria; Vilcabamba Village, Loja Canton, Loja Province, Ecuador; Yellow Gesha; Double Fermentation Washed; 2024

Honey | Blackcurrants | Citrus | Cream

This coffee is a blend of strength from two neighboring coffee-growing countries—Colombia and Ecuador. The Loja province, located in the southern part of Ecuador near Peru, sits along the Ecuadorian Andes mountain range, the longest continental mountain range in the world at about 9,000 km. The Andes also boast the highest peak outside of Asia, located in Argentina. Loja is known as Ecuador’s cultural and music capital, home to two major universities, and is rich in history. It was the first city in Ecuador to be powered by electricity from a hydroelectric dam in the 1890s and, in 2013, became the first province in the country to be powered by wind energy, thanks to the state-owned Villonaco Wind Farm (Parque Eólico Villonaco).

The region of Loja lies between the humid Amazon Basin, with its tropical climate, and the hot desert climate of the Peruvian Sechura. The landscape includes alpine meadows and cloud forests rich in biodiversity. Loja enjoys a mild Andean climate, generally warm during the day, and cooler and wetter at night. Temperatures range from 11°C to 22°C, and annual rainfall is moderate, between 900-1000mm, complemented by high humidity and low cloud cover that add moisture for coffee's growth. Nestled in the beautiful highlands of Loja, La Noria farm sits at an altitude of 2,020 - 2,050 meters, benefiting from rich soil, mineral rich spring water, abundant sunlight of 12 hours daily, and shade trees. Established by Tim Leahy in 2017, the farm is named 'Windmill' in honor of Ecuador’s first wind power generation. The farm is managed by ChocoVilcaMundo (CVM), an Ecuadorian agricultural company led by Bernard Uhe and his family, who have deep roots in coffee growing in Ibague, Colombia. Though not certified organic, La Noria employs sustainable farming practices, using neem and worm tea for fertilization.

The Gesha variety, originally from Ethiopia, is one of the most coveted and sought-after coffees in the world. It was introduced to Panama and other parts of Latin America through CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, Costa Rica) in the 1960s after being recognized for its resistance to coffee leaf rust. The variety gained international fame in 2005 when it won the Best of Panama competitions repeatedly for a few years. Since then, it has consistently broken price records at auctions. Known for its exceptional floral and fruity profile, the Gesha variety requires high elevations to truly shine. There are several genetically distinct types of Gesha, most of which trace back to landraces in the same Ethiopian region, as noted in our Gaylee Gesha. The yellow Gesha is a natural mutation, typically displaying 'yellow' flavor characteristics. Sometimes, the yellow Gesha is also known as Golden Gesha. This coffee is double fermented, first in whole cherries for a period of time before being depulped and fermented in tanks like an usual wet process.

La Noria Farm grows Geisha, Yellow Geisha, SL28, and Typica Mejorado. La Noria's washed green tip Gesha was ranked 1a and 1b in 2023 Cup of Excellence Ecuador, with a tied score of 91.22. In the 2023 Arabica Golden Cup competition organized by the Ecuadorian Coffee Association, La Noria also won the top prize with their green tip Gesha, with a score of 91.50. 

This coffee is part of our Touring Series.

Roast Level
This geisha is lower in moisture but high in density. But it 'behaves' properly in the roast and we managed to get a proper roast at a proper temperature in a proper time. We kept the time after first crack to be lower so that the juicy acidity that complements the aromatic notes is preserved. As usual, we tried our best to induce a lingering afterflavour without crash of flavours upon swallowing the coffee. The coffee sweetness is also highlighted in this roast. There should be balanced acidity and little astringency when it cools. 


Brew Flavour
4 days after roast, the dry fragrance is stewed fruits, jam-my and purple-floral. In the brew, the first impression is an aroma of Manuka honey followed by an aroma of blackcurrants. There are 2 other groups of aroma that perfume this coffee - notes of citrus fruits that switch around orange, pineapple, citron, pomegranate; as well as notes of cream like milk, and even papaya and jasmine. The acidity is balanced, with citric and malic notes. The body is medium, expected from a coffee with high density. The mouthfeel is smooth and syrupy and maintains throughout the temperature changes. The finish is orange juice and dried flowers, with mild tingling pineapple acidity. 2 weeks after the roast, honey notes diminish and blackcurrant and grapey notes are more pronounced.

This is our brew recipe, with Timemore Crystal Eye on a Mola Abaca paper, at 16g @ 750 μm to 260ml of 90°C water. To contextualise the grind size, it is in between the sizes of salt and sugar.

0th sec - Add 50g of water
30th - 120th sec - Add 70g of water to 120g
130th - 170th sec - Add 130g of water to 250g

Bypass with 10g of water

In this brew, the TDS is 1.26% and the Brix is 1.3%

All coffees will be in whole beans. If you require the coffees to be ground, please inform us in the order notes whether you wish it to be: espresso, moka, filter or cold brew.


Savouring our world in a cup!
Enjoy!