Peruvian Homer Alarcon Gayoso: Natural Geisha Apex

Homer's coffee is being sold in 10 oz bags as part of our Gold Label Apex Series.

Homer’s Geisha brings punchy, juicy flavor to our Apex lineup. It’s a lovely pop of garden-fresh fruit flavors, with notes of honeydew and strawberry bringing a clean, crisp sweetness to the cup. Indulgent pastry flavors moderate the fruity acidity, like a cream cheese danish or old-fashioned glazed donut, with a restrained aftertaste that’s reminiscent of freshly baked, homemade sweets.

There’s a certain wow factor from the chorus of berry, melon, and tropical fruit notes that immediately present themselves when you take a sip, but the luscious, velvety body is absolutely key to presenting those flavors harmoniously. Rounding out those immediate impressions, the floral sweetness of lychee and the slight presence of baking chocolate make for a well-balanced and delightful sipping experience. It’s best served in the early afternoon when your palate is primed for extraordinary tastes.

Because of lower temperatures and a rainier season, Homer fermented his coffee for 72 hours this harvest, up from the 64 hour fermentation of the previous year. As a result, more sweetness and fruity character ends up in the cup.

Homer Alarcon started working on his own coffee farm in 2003, without any plan or technology. He says that he had no idea about costs or the fertilization process. He worked like that until 2008. In that year, he became a member of the Cooperative Sol&Café, and he started getting training in a new way to produce coffee. Homer remarks that Sol&Café taught him to see the coffee farm as a company that needed to work with new technologies and new trends, rather than viewing the farm only as a simple plot of land to survive. 

In 2017 a new coffee trend started in Perú: specialty coffee. With the new championship of Cup of Excellence, all farmers had the opportunity to try new experiments and work with new varieties of coffee. Homer Alarcon jumped on the train of experimentation. For many years, he had primarily been working with washed coffees. This kind of process is the most common in Perú. However, Homer was curious about the natural process, specifically the quality, the flavors, and the process of fermentation and the time needed to produce this kind of coffee.

“Geisha” is a highly prized coffee variety known for producing delicate, complex flavor nuances, distinct floral aromatics, and profound sweetness in the cup. As a plant, it is tricky to grow well, only thrives at very high elevations, and it only yields about half the fruit compared to most other coffee varieties. For these reasons, producers like Homer can earn a premium price for Geisha coffees, and we believe they are well worth it. Homer chose to process this particular crop as a natural, leaving the fruit intact throughout fermentation and drying, resulting in a lush, vibrantly fruity cup that we can't stop raving about.

The Peruvian Homer Alarcon Gayoso: Natural Geisha Apex represents a compelling intersection of meticulous cultivation and distinct processing. Produced by Homer Alarcon Gayoso in Peru, this lot features the Geisha varietal, a plant widely celebrated for its potential for exceptional clarity and complex aromatics. By utilizing a natural processing method, the producer allows the coffee cherry to dry intact, a technique that often encourages the development of pronounced sweetness and fruit-forward profiles.

When evaluating this coffee, roaster Higher Grounds Trading Co. identifies a diverse array of descriptors, ranging from honeydew, strawberry, and lychee to indulgent notes like cream cheese danish, glazed donut, and baking chocolate. To better understand how these specific characteristics align with broader sensory categories, drinkers may find it helpful to consult a flavor wheel. This coffee serves as a vibrant example of how varietal selection and careful post-harvest handling can yield a remarkably layered and dessert-like cup.