La Muralla Collective Washed Gesha - Huila, Colombia

Why we selected it

We’ve selected coffees from La Muralla before, but returning to a producer or collective is never automatic. The next coffee still has to earn its place.

This Gesha did.

What convinced us was its restraint. It has the floral character and complexity we expect from Gesha, but nothing feels exaggerated. Instead, there is clarity, delicacy and a beautiful progression of fruit as the coffee cools.

It is exactly the kind of Gesha we want in the Standout collection: distinctive because of its quality rather than its intensity.

Why this coffee is significant

La Muralla is an informal collective of young coffee producers in San Agustín, in southern Huila.

For this lot, three neighbouring producers — Hermilda Bolaños, Edwin Astudillo and Ilmer Ivan Gomez — brought together their individual Gesha harvests to create a single variety-specific micro-lot.

For small producers, volumes of varieties such as Gesha can be limited. Combining coffees of comparable quality and character allows the collective to create something more substantial while retaining the identity of the variety and place.

It is a simple idea, but when the selection is right, the result can be exceptional.

The cup experience

Jasmine and elderflower lead into pomegranate, goldenberry and blood orange, with ripe peach bringing sweetness to a light, floral and distinctly Gesha finish.

As the coffee cools, the florals become increasingly transparent and the stone-fruit sweetness more pronounced.

Elegant rather than powerful. Complex without becoming complicated.

Producer and place

Hermilda, Edwin and Ilmer farm in San Agustín, Huila, one of Colombia’s most recognised high-altitude coffee-growing areas.

Their Gesha is grown at approximately 1,900 metres above sea level, where the combination of elevation and climate allows the cherries to mature slowly.

La Muralla gives these neighbouring producers an opportunity to work collectively while maintaining the small-scale nature of their individual farms.

Processing and its effect on the cup

The cherries were selectively hand-picked at peak ripeness and floated to remove lower-density fruit before being depulped on the day of harvest.

The coffee then underwent 24 hours of dry fermentation in tiled tanks, followed by drying on raised beds until reaching approximately 10.5% moisture content.

The processing is deliberately restrained.

Rather than fermentation becoming the dominant flavour, the washed process allows the Gesha itself to remain at the centre: florals, bright fruit, clarity and a clean finish.

How we brew it — Double Bloom

For this coffee, we want to preserve the florals while bringing enough extraction to develop its peach-like sweetness.

15 g coffee
250 g water
93°C
Medium-fine grind
Target brew time: 2:40–2:55

0:00 — 50 g
Pour the first bloom and gently saturate the entire coffee bed.

0:30 — 100 g
Add another 50 g for the second bloom.

1:00 — 250 g
Pour the remaining 150 g with a controlled, continuous pour.

Allow the coffee to draw down completely.

Why we brew it this way

We use 93°C rather than pushing the temperature higher because we want to keep the floral character transparent and the acidity precise.

The relatively fine grind gives us enough extraction to develop the sweetness underneath those aromatics, while the two 50 g blooms create an even extraction before the main pour.

The result we are looking for is not maximum intensity.

It is jasmine first, bright fruit through the middle and ripe peach sweetness as the cup cools.

Our recommendation

Give this coffee time.

We recommend resting it for around 14–21 days after roasting before opening it, and drinking it across different temperatures rather than judging it from the first hot sip.

This is a Gesha that becomes more interesting as it cools.

That progression — from jasmine and elderflower towards bright fruit and soft peach sweetness — is one of the reasons we selected it.

Coffee details

Producers: Hermilda Bolaños, Edwin Astudillo & Ilmer Ivan Gomez
Collective: La Muralla
Country: Colombia
Region: San Agustín, Huila
Elevation: 1,900 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Gesha
Process: Washed
Fermentation: 24 hours dry fermentation in tiled tanks
Drying: Raised beds to approximately 10.5% moisture

Taste: Jasmine · Elderflower · Pomegranate · Goldenberry · Blood Orange · Ripe Peach