Las Etíopes is a 7-hectare farm in El Porvenir, Jaén, Cajamarca, Peru, sitting between 1900–2050 MASL. While only two hectares are currently planted, the farm is packed with standout varieties including Ethiopian heirloom, Geisha, Wush Wush and Sidra. This coffee was sourced through Chacra Coffee importers, who partner directly with Las Etiopes, and this particular lot was produced by Simon Brown and Merlith Cruz.
Up until 2025, almost all of the coffee from Las Etíopes was processed using more traditional fermentation methods, mainly dry fermentation in tiled tanks. That’s still the backbone of production today, but more recently the team began experimenting with controlled fermentations using natural inoculants in stainless steel tanks.
To make this possible, a dedicated processing lab was built on the farm, complete with stainless steel fermentation tanks, bioreactor barrels, microscopes and lab equipment used to isolate and monitor yeast and bacteria growth before inoculation. It’s a seriously considered approach, designed to push flavour clarity and complexity while keeping everything stable and repeatable.
This particular lot was fermented using a natural mosto, essentially a live fermentation culture created by fermenting a batch of Geisha coffee in sealed tanks with simple syrup and hops. The hops act as a natural antimicrobial, helping yeast thrive while keeping unwanted bacteria in check.
The pulped coffee ferments for 5–7 days, with regular pH and brix readings taken throughout to monitor yeast activity and fermentation development. Once the culture reaches peak activity, the liquid is separated and preserved as the “mosto”, which can then be used to inoculate future batches, almost like maintaining a sourdough starter.
Freshly harvested cherries are first rinsed and floated in cold spring water to remove lower-density fruit and clean the cherry surface. The coffee is then depulped and transferred into stainless steel tanks, where it undergoes a 72-hour fermentation with the mosto under naturally generated pressure.
After fermentation, the coffee is washed once with spring water before being moved onto raised beds for a slow, careful drying process.
The result is a coffee that feels incredibly clean and vibrant, with loads of structure underneath all that floral intensity. As Geishas go, this may be one of our favourites ever, and one we’re seriously proud to share.
