Pull & Pour Special Release 009 – Gesha Village Oma Honey

Gesha Village coffees have been among my favorites since I entered the specialty coffee scene years ago. Their delicate yet dynamic profiles are astounding and always exciting to try. I have wanted to feature one of their coffees since starting the special release series and finally have the chance now with the 009 release.

We sampled multiple lots and processing methods from Gesha Village in preparation for the feature and this one—from the Oma plot and processed using the honey method—stood out among the rest for its bold aromatics and dynamic flavor profile.

Gesha Village

Gesha Village lies in the high-altitude forests of the Bench Maji zone of South Western Ethiopia. Among the wild forest is the 471-hectare plot that is Gesha Village. The coffee trees grow under the canopy of the forest using its shade to protect the fragile coffee trees and feed off the beautiful biodiversity of the land. Gesha Village not only focuses on the gesha varietal but uses a specific gesha varietal (Gesha 1931) that genetically closely resembles the original gesha coffee discovered in this area in 1931.

Oma Honey

Within Gesha Village, they’ve divided the farm into different lots. This coffee comes specifically from the Oma lot. It reaches up to 2040 MASL and produces some of the most aromatic coffees Gesha Village grows. The coffee was processed using the honey method. With the honey process, a certain amount of the mucilage and pulp are kept on the coffee bean during de-pulping and left on during fermentation and drying. The result is a great balance between the cleanliness you hope to find in a washed coffee and the sweetness of naturally processed coffees.

Profile

The coffee begins with bold citrus aromatics. Upon taking the first sip, the citrus carries through but is balanced by ripe strawberry and honey. It has a boisterously sweet vibrancy and a caramel mouthfeel. My favorite thing to experience with truly excellent coffee is its flavor evolution as it cools. This coffee moves from bright citrus to smooth sweet tea as the temperature decreases in a fascinating way with different fruit notes making cameo appearances throughout.

The Bottom Line

Gesha Village coffees are always special and I think this Oma Honey is especially delightful. It has a well-deserved spot among the other special releases and I can’t wait to share it with the club.