The House That Gesha Built

In 1923, the original Yankee Stadium opened its doors just as baseball superstar Babe Ruth was entering his prime. For years, both he and the Yankees exemplified excellence on that field, and the stadium eventually became known as "The House that Ruth Built" as a result. 

Less than a decade later, in 1931, the Gesha coffee variety began its own history of excellence when it made its way from the Gori Gesha forest of Ethiopia to an agricultural research center in Costa Rica. It spent the next several decades making its way across the coffee-growing world in the Americas, and the coffee industry - much like Babe Ruth's impact on baseball - has never been the same.

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with our birthday. For founders Lem Butler and Kyle Ramage, Gesha coffee has played an integral role, both in their relationships with coffee and their professional endeavors in the industry. Both Lem and Kyle showcased Gesha coffees on the World Barista stage, and the variety became a pillar upon which they built the Black & White brand.

When we opened our doors seven years ago, excellence was at the forefront of our vision for the company, and it remains one of our three core values today. To celebrate our birthday this year, we want to pay homage to a variety that is steeped in excellence and also close to our hearts: this is the house that Gesha built.

With this blend, we wanted to showcase those quintessential characteristics which make the Gesha variety so incredibly special, while simultaneously celebrating the journey it has made all over the coffee-growing world. To do this, we blended an astonishing TEN Gesha lots from four countries, resulting in a true mosaic of Gesha flavors, origins, and stories: 

35% Uba Gesha - Washed (Colombia)

30% Hayvis Sagastume Gesha (Honduras)

15% Gesha Village - Lot 17 (Ethiopia)

15% Sebastian Ramirez Gesha (Colombia)

5% "That Gesha Funk" blend, featuring: 

• Sebastian Gomez - Dragonfruit (Colombia)
• Sebastian Gomez - Peach (Colombia)
• La Palma - Natural (Colombia)
• Abu Gesha - Natural (Panama)
• Diego Bermudez - Letty (Colombia)

The bulk of the blend is made up of washed Gesha lots that contribute everything we expect to smell and taste when we approach the cupping table. But, because we are who we are and just can't help ourselves, we couldn't resist adding the five coffees making up "That Gesha Funk" blend, adding nuance to the cup and telling a more complete story of what's possible in processing (spoiler alert: not all Gesha lots have to be washed!). 

Finally, we'd be remiss to leave our good friend, Jose Gallardo, off of the above list. Both Kyle and Lem featured one of his Gesha coffees during their respective WBC runs, and our love affair with the variety really reached a fever pitch at his storied farm in the hills of Boquette - Finca Nuguo. So, we added just a pinch of his renowned washed Gesha lot to this blend.

Complex and ever-evolving, the result is a cup of coffee that celebrates everything we love about Gesha coffee as a variety. White florals greet you right at the jump. Vibrant acidity like complex citrus is present throughout, and a variety of stone fruit can be perceived by different palettes and at different temperatures. Our hope for this blend is that it sips like a celebration of Gesha's past, present, and future, and we couldn't be more delighted to share it with you on our birthday. Now, the question that remains is this: does it pair well with birthday cake?