Artist Reserve: Colombia Pablo Gómez - Washed Geisha (Roast date 9/24)
ARTIST RESERVE: JACOB WHISHMAN
COLOMBIA PABLO GÓMEZ - WASHED GEISHA
STRAWBERRY COOLER, JASMINE, LYCHEE, APRICOT, FLORAL
Proper Geisha, from Panamanian seed stock. Pablo Gómez's washed Geisha is incredibly elegant and floral, but there's a surprising amount of fruit underneath it. Strawberry cooler, lychee, ripe apricot, and jasmine all show up in a cup that's delicate, juicy, and exceptionally clean. Lucky to be the only roaster with this lot! It was air-shipped directly from the mill just last week. Beautiful coffee, grown and processed with intention.
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Salgar, Antioquia, Colombia
PRODUCER: Pablo Gómez
ELEVATION: 1,860 masl
PROCESS: Washed
VARIETY: Geisha
TASTING NOTES: Strawberry cooler, lychee, ripe apricot, and jasmine
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
About Pablo Gómez
Pablo never planned on becoming a coffee producer.
He grew up in Medellín, studied gastronomy, and spent most of his early life away from his family's farm in Salgar, Antioquia. The property itself had been largely abandoned for years, and Pablo had worked with crops like plantain and avocado rather than coffee.
Then his father underwent knee surgery and couldn't work for nearly a year.
Pablo returned home to help.
What began as a temporary move slowly changed the direction of his life. He studied Agricultural Administration, spent time working on an avocado farm, and eventually returned to the family property for good in 2019.
That's when the Geisha trees started getting interesting.
Building Go Bros.
Years earlier, Pablo's family had planted Geisha from seeds brought from Panama. The trees were there, but nobody had really explored what the coffee could become.
Pablo and his brother started processing and tasting it.
They realized they had something special.
That discovery eventually became Go Bros., the coffee project Pablo built with his brother. Neither came into it with a polished specialty coffee operation—they learned by experimenting, listening to family members with coffee experience, and figuring out what worked one harvest at a time.
Today, Pablo has around 5,000 Geisha trees and has converted an underused part of the family farm into a small coffee processing operation.
It's still tiny. About one hectare, Pablo, and one full-time collaborator.
And that's a big part of why we love this coffee.
This isn't Geisha planted as part of some enormous specialty coffee project. It's a family farm that Pablo came home to help save, some unusual trees that happened to be growing there, and a producer who tasted their potential and decided to build something around them.
The Farm
Pablo's farm sits in Salgar, Antioquia, roughly two hours from Medellín, at approximately 1,860 meters above sea level.
It's where Pablo has chosen to build his life and the future of Go Bros., while continuing to help his father with the family's other crops.
He still gets back to Medellín pretty regularly—mostly, he says, for good food.
But the countryside is home now.
The Process
This is a straightforward washed Geisha, with the processing designed to preserve the elegance and clarity of the variety.
Cherries are hand-picked and carefully sorted, targeting approximately 95% fully ripe fruit, before being depulped immediately.
The coffee then ferments in open tanks for 72 hours.
After fermentation, it's thoroughly washed and slowly dried on sun beds until reaching approximately 12% moisture.
The result is transparent and beautifully composed: florals, soft tropical fruit, stone fruit, and that unmistakable Geisha elegance.
Brew Guide
Filter & Espresso
You bought great coffee. Brew it that way. Below is how we approach extraction at Color — built from years of roasting, tasting, and a lot of dialing in on our favorite brewers: Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, and Origami Air.
Brew how you’d like — but if you want it how we taste it, start here.
REST
Great coffee changes over time. Don’t rush it.
Filter:
→ 2–6 weeks off roast
→ Sweet spot: 3.5–6 weeks
This is where things get cleaner, riper, and more clear. Fruit tones deepen. Structure gets polished and the finish cleans up.
Espresso:
→ 4–6 weeks off roast
You can pull earlier. It’ll be brighter and aromatic. Around week 4, it rounds out and gains density.
If you enjoy tasting evolution like me, just keep brewing and wait for it to get better!
WATER
Water matters more than most variables. We QC with TWW at full strength, the light roast profile, but these coffees truly sparkle with most soft water profiles. Most mountain water is hard so be sure to adjust accordingly. Definitely filter out chlorine and sulfur if using tap water. Apex is making some really cool water drops!
Ideal Range:
→ 30–80 ppm
→ Moderate alkalinity
→ Balanced calcium/magnesium
Softer water increases clarity and perceived sweetness. Harder water can flatten acidity and mute top notes as well as muddy the finish.
FILTER BREWING
Core Philosophy
- Even extraction > aggressive agitation
- Minimize channeling
- Control flow rate
- Your taste is the most important factor!
- Bed Depth is critical, check out Jonathan Gagne’s thoughts on this
We aim for:
- Extraction Yield: 20–23%
- TDS: 1.35–1.55
- Clean, structured sweetness
- The least amount of astringency possible
- No hollow center, flat beds
RATIO
We cup at 1:17
For brewing, we gravitate toward:
- 1:16 – 1:17
- Personal favorite: 1:16.75
- If the coffee is ultra-dense or fruit-forward, push toward 1:17. If you want more saturation and body, lean toward 1:16.
GRIND
Medium-fine for most flat-bottom / hybrid brewers.
You should see:
- Even drawdown
- No stalling
- No rushing
- See Jonathan Gagne’s bed depth post
If it tastes:
- Sour → grind finer or reduce chanelling
- Bitter/astringent/dry → grind coarser
- Thin → increase extraction (finer or hotter water)
BREWERS WE LOVE
Hoop
Low agitation. High clarity. One pour.
Let gravity do the work. Make sure to break the crust when you finish pouring.
Use a metal aeropress filter if you’re struggling with choking and/or slow draw downs.
Pulsar
Excellent for brewing for 2 people.
Aim for doses 25g - 30g to reduce channeling risk.
Bloom with the valve closed. Open after the first pour.
UFO
Expressive, modern clarity.
Great for highlighting fruit structure. Forgiving.
We love the sibarist filters.
Origami Air
Run conical filters for clarity, flat-bottom for structure.
Control your pour pattern — even spirals, minimal disturbance.
Thermally stable, easy pour over option.
POUR OVER POUR STRUCTURE (General Framework)
For a 1:16–1:17 brew:
- Bloom: 2–3x coffee weight (45–60g for 21.5g dose)
- 60 sec bloom
- 2–3 controlled center-out pours
- Avoid heavy swirling or stirring
- Let it draw down naturally with a light rattle after the last pour. Agitation increases extraction — use it intentionally.
ESPRESSO
Rest longer. Be patient.
Starting Parameters:
- 1:2 – 1:2.5 ratio
- 25–35 sec
- 93–95°C
- Adjust based on roast level and density
These coffees often open up at slightly higher extraction. Don’t be afraid of longer shots if they remain sweet and structured. More shot volume = more extraction.
You’re looking for:
- Dense sweetness
- No harsh finish
- Lingering fruit or chocolate clarity
- Structured acidity, not sharpness
If it’s thin → grind finer or increase ratio
If it’s harsh → coarsen or lower temp slightly
WHAT WE’RE TASTING AT OPTIMAL EXTRACTION
- Saturated sweetness
- Clear fruit articulation
- No hollow mid-palate
- Weight without heaviness
- Long finish
When you hit it right, it feels polished. Not loud. Not dull. Just complete.
FINAL NOTES
- Rest matters.
- Water matters more.
- Extraction is measurable.
- But taste is king.
Brew whenever you’d like. Track changes. Stay curious.
If you dial something incredible on your Hoop, Pulsar, UFO, or Origami Air — tell us.
We’re always chasing better coffee.
— Color Coffee
Coffee Faq
IS YOUR COFFEE ORGANIC OR FAIR TRADE?
In many cases, yes. However, our first priority is quality and flavor. Sometimes these priorities align and our producers are certified organic and/or fair trade. We always pay well above fair trade rates (which are quite low and don’t guarantee sustainability or quality).
Often times, the producers we work with are too small to gain certifications. It’s expensive and laborious. Many of our producers are certified organic and fair trade, including many of our producers in Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME-FRAME TO DRINK MY COFFEE?
We recommend drinking our coffee within one month of the roast date. Most of our coffees taste best however within 2 - 14 days of roast date.
For espresso, we recommend using coffee that has rested at least 7 days after roast date. This is because coffee gives off CO2 after roasting that can interfere with extraction. One way to get around this is to let your ground espresso dose sit for 30-120 minutes before pulling the shot. Email info@colorroasters.com for more questions about this.
If you are pre-grinding the coffee, we recommend drinking the coffee within one week of grinding.
CAN YOU GRIND MY COFFEE ON WEB ORDERS?
Yes, we can. Please select how you want your coffee to be ground at the time you place your order. Simply click on the arrow beside "Grind" and make your selection. If you need help choosing let us know the brewing method you will be using to prepare the coffee, in the notes of the order. And we will be happy to grind the coffee for you on our commercial grinder.
DO YOU HAVE BREW RECIPES?
These are in the works! We are compiling a bunch and even shooting some video, to help you brew like us at home.
In the meantime...go here: Pour Overs | Aeropress to get some expert advice.
MY COFFEE TASTES WEAK, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?