Artist Reserve: Guatemala Ben Lopez - Gesha Natural
ARTIST RESERVE: Landon Sheely
GUATEMALA BEN LOPEZ - GESHA NATURAL
PURPLE FRUITS, ORANGE, LILAC FLORALS, LONG RESIDUALS
Really excited about this coffee! Singular art and singular coffee, exactly why we created the Artist Reserve series. Benjamin López's Natural Gesha is wildly expressive without ever feeling heavy. It opens with fragrant lilac florals before moving into layers of juicy purple fruit, vibrant orange, and an endlessly sweet finish that seems to linger for minutes.
It's floral, juicy, delicate, and unforgettable.
This release marks our first collaboration with Landon Sheely.
We were introduced to Landon by one of our wholesale partners, The Root note, in beautiful La Crosse, WI.
Landon is a tattoo artist and illustrator whose work blends classic Americana, western landscapes, wildlife, and timeless symbolism into a style that's instantly recognizable.
When we started dreaming about Artist Reserve, collaborators like Landon were exactly who we hoped to work with—artists whose work stands on its own and brings a completely different perspective to the coffee.
We're incredibly honored to have Landon join the Artist Reserve series.
Follow his work:
instagram.com/landonsheely
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Buena Vista, San Antonio Huista, Guatemala
PRODUCER: Ben Lopez
ELEVATION: 1,775 masl
PROCESS: After harvest, ripe cherries are brought down from the farm to his home, where they're dried beneath raised canopies that Benjamin designed using knowledge gained during his years at Anacafé. The coffee finishes drying slowly on his patios until it reaches ideal moisture content.
VARIETY: Field Blend
TASTING NOTES: purple fruits, orange, lilac
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
About the Producer
Benjamin López is a third-generation coffee farmer from Buena Vista, San Antonio Huista, Guatemala, but coffee wasn't always his plan. Early in his career he worked as a technician for Anacafé, Guatemala's national coffee organization, designing wet mills and advising producers on post-harvest processing. That experience transformed the way he thought about coffee and eventually led him back to farming full-time.
Today Benjamin manages several farms, including El Aguacate, where this Gesha is grown at 1,775 meters above sea level. His farming combines family tradition with constant experimentation, balancing organic composting, careful soil management, and sustainable practices to improve quality year after year.
This particular lot comes from just 80 Gesha trees planted across two small plots on El Aguacate, making it an exceptionally limited release.
Processing
Benjamin keeps the process intentionally simple, allowing the quality of the Gesha itself to take center stage.
After harvest, ripe cherries are brought down from the farm to his home, where they're dried beneath raised canopies that Benjamin designed using knowledge gained during his years at Anacafé. The coffee finishes drying slowly on his patios until it reaches ideal moisture content.
The result is a natural Gesha that showcases incredible clarity alongside lush fruit intensity—proof that restraint often produces the most exciting cups.
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?