Guatemala Gesha Natural – Three Story Coffee

Three Story Coffee is a roaster based out of Jefferson City in my home state of Missouri. Their name comes from the idea that each coffee has three stories: the farmer growing it, them roasting it, & you and I drinking it—I love that so much. I tried a variety of their coffees—all of which were amazing and unique. Their naturally processed El Salvador coffee was on-par with some of the other amazing El Salvadorian coffees I’ve tried recently from Red Rooster and Topeca. While that coffee and each of the others were great coffees and would have each scored high themselves, the coffee that really stood out to me was this naturally processed Gesha variety. I’ve only tried a few Guatemalan Geshas and this was definitely the first naturally processed one I’ve had the opportunity to try. The coffee comes from the farmer, Joel Perez from Finca Palestina in Acatenango and is one of the long-term relationships Three Story Coffee has fostered since 2013.

The coffee begins with a fantastically complex aroma that is sweet and reminded me of berry cola. There are floral undertones and I noticed a burst of lemon citrus at the bloom. In the flavor I tasted a wide range of flavors—and different ones with each brew method—that included berry, lavender, lemon, orange and an overarching sweetness. There is a strong brightness at the front that carries throughout each sip. The body is light, but not thin and the finish was long with a delightful lingering acidity.

Hands down this was one of the most complex coffees I’ve tried recently (and I’ve tried a lot of complex coffees). After sharing my thoughts with Three Story Coffee and how impressed I was with it, they responded with “What I love about this coffee is how complex it is. Depending on the factors such as brew method, water temp and agitation, there is an entire range of tropical fruit and floral notes to pull out of this coffee. I’m surprised by what I’m tasting almost every time I drink it. Some of my favorites have been jasmine, pineapple and kiwi.” I couldn’t agree more. I only had 4-5 brews with the 4 oz I tried, but each one was incredibly unique and surprising.

The Bottom Line

I have enjoyed the few brews I’ve had with this coffee immensely. I’m now on the hunt for other naturally processed Gesha coffees to see if they can compare with the complexity, flavor and overall quality Three Story Coffee delivered with Guatemala Gesha Natural.