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Demóstenes Tantaleán, Anoxic Washed Gesha

£22.00

Our final release from Peru this year is a certified banger. This washed Gesha has undergone an anoxic ferment that’s pushed the fruit to the max. Expect florals like cherry blossom and jasmine, juicy Pink Lady apple, and a warmth reminiscent of Bakewell tart.

Size
Grind

Lot info

Each cherry is picked by hand, and only the ones that are perfectly ripe are selected, ensuring optimal sweetness and consistency. Once they come in from the field, the cherries go through a flotation tank, which gently separates out anything underripe or damaged before they're de-pulped. From there, the coffee rests for 36 hours in a controlled anoxic ferment for 36 hours. Limiting the oxygen brings out real aromatic depth and lets the Gesha's floral, fruit-forward character come through beautifully. When fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed clean of any remaining mucilage.

The parchment then moves to a solar dryer, where it dries slowly and evenly until it reaches a suitable level to mitigate the risk of mould development. Once properly dried, the coffee is stored under appropriate conditions to safeguard the quality achieved at each stage of production. Great care is taken to maintain traceability and preserve the integrity of the lot from farm to export.

Producer

Demóstenes Tantaleán Acuña is a second-generation coffee producer. His family began cultivating coffee after recognising Tacabamba’s favourable climate and the opportunity coffee offered as a sustainable source of income. Growing up in coffee farming, Demóstenes developed a deep passion for the land and for cultivation. With the ambition of uplifting his community and showcasing his region’s potential, he made a strategic shift toward quality-focused production. Rather than prioritising volume, he chose to plant fine varieties such as Gesha, aiming to differentiate his coffee and achieve more complex, distinctive cup profiles. His work reflects respect for tradition alongside a forward-looking commitment to specialty coffee standards.

Demóstenes manages his farm primarily using organic fertilisation methods. He applies natural inputs such as island guano and guinea pig manure to enrich soil fertility while maintaining ecological balance. Weed control is carried out manually with machetes and brush cutters, reducing reliance on chemical herbicides and helping to preserve soil health. This approach balances traditional farming knowledge with sustainable agricultural practices suited to high-altitude specialty coffee production.

Cultivar

From Ethiopian forest to Panama

Gesha takes its name from the Gesha area of south-west Ethiopia, where seeds were collected from wild coffee forests in the 1930s. They travelled to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania, and in 1953 to CATIE in Costa Rica, where they were catalogued as accession T2722. From there the cultivar spread through Central America, reaching Panama in the 1960s. Farmers planted it for its tolerance to coffee leaf rust, but its low yields meant most soon replaced it.

That changed in 2004, when Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete entered a Gesha into the Best of Panama competition. Its intensely floral, tea-like cup stunned the judges and set a record auction price. Since then, Gesha has broken auction records again and again, and is now grown from Colombia and Ecuador to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil and Costa Rica.

Gesha or Geisha?

“Gesha” follows the name of the Ethiopian region, while “Geisha” is a later spelling that stuck in Panama. Both refer to the same cultivar; we use Gesha in keeping with its origin.

In the field

Gesha grows into tall plants with long, sparse branches and elongated leaves, often with bronze-coloured tips. It yields less than most commercial cultivars and is susceptible to coffee berry disease, but it can reach exceptional cup quality, especially at high altitude. Genetic testing has shown that Panamanian Gesha, descended from T2722, is a distinct and uniform variety, separate from many other Ethiopian selections sold under the same name.

In the cup

At its best, Gesha is unmistakable: jasmine, bergamot and citrus, with a silky, tea-like body. Processing shapes it significantly. Washed Geshas are the most delicate, while naturals and anoxic fermentations push towards tropical fruit and berries.

Process

Washed process

Washed coffees have the fruit removed before drying. After pulping, the seeds ferment briefly in tanks to loosen the sticky mucilage, then are rinsed clean and dried. The result is usually a clean, bright cup that lets the variety and the place it was grown speak clearly.

Read our full guide to the washed process →

Anoxic fermentation

Anoxic coffees are fermented in sealed bags, tanks or barrels limiting the oxygen, before drying as a washed, honey or natural. Controlling oxygen, time and temperature lets producers shape fermentation precisely, often creating intense, layered flavours that traditional processing can't reach.

Read our full guide to the anoxic fermentation →

Traceability

Producer Demóstenes Tantaleán Acuña
Location La Malquerida, Tacabamba, Chota, Cajamarca, Peru
Elevation 1,950 masl
Cultivar Gesha
Preparation Anoxic Washed
Harvest August - November 2025
Arrival December 2025
Exporter Chacra Coffee
Importer Chacra Coffee