SIMON BROWN + MERLITH CRUZ DOUBLE PACK – GEISHA, INOCULATED WASHED & NATURAL – PERU

TAITH
LEWES, ENGLAND

SIMON BROWN + MERLITH CRUZ DOUBLE PACK – GEISHA, INOCULATED WASHED & NATURAL

EARL GREY
LEMON CURD
WETHER’S ORIGINAL
APRICOT
FLORAL
LYCHEE LIQUEUR

PRODUCER: SIMON BROWN AND MERLITH CRUZ
ORIGIN: PERU
PROCESS: INOCULATED WASHED, INOCULATED NATURAL
VARIETAL: GEISHA
ALTITUDE: 1950–2000 MASL

ROAST DATE: APRIL 17, 2026

FROM THE ROASTER

THIS PACK CONTAINS 100G OF INOCULATED WASHED AND 100G OF INOCULATED NATURAL.

FARM

MERLITH AND HER HUSBAND SIMON ACQUIRED THE FARM IN 2019, BEGINNING THEIR JOURNEY INTO COFFEE CULTIVATION SHORTLY THEREAFTER. IN EARLY 2020, THEY PLANTED THEIR FIRST TREES, FOCUSING ON A CAREFULLY SELECTED RANGE OF ETHIOPIAN VARIETIES ACROSS A TWO-HECTARE SUB-PLOT. WITHIN THIS AREA, THEY ESTABLISHED FIVE DISTINCT LINES, INCLUDING A DEDICATED GEISHA SECTION COMPOSED OF TWO SEPARATE LINES—ONE FROM ETHIOPIAN GEISHA STOCK AND ONE FROM PANAMA-DERIVED SEEDS. MOST CURRENT PRODUCTION COMES FROM THE PANAMA-DERIVED LINE, WHICH HAS SHOWN STRONG PERFORMANCE UNDER THE FARM’S CONDITIONS.

FROM THE OUTSET, THEIR APPROACH HAS PRIORITIZED SUSTAINABLE FARMING PRACTICES AND THE PRESERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY, MINIMIZING CHEMICAL INPUTS AND RELYING ON CAREFUL SOIL MANAGEMENT. WEED CONTROL IS CARRIED OUT ENTIRELY BY HAND, REFLECTING A COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE CULTIVATION.

PROCESS

WASHED

IN 2025, A PORTION OF PRODUCTION BEGAN USING STAINLESS STEEL TANKS WITH ADDED NATURAL INOCULANTS. A DEDICATED PROCESSING LAB WAS BUILT TO SUPPORT THIS, HOUSING BIOREACTOR BARRELS AND LAB EQUIPMENT FOR MONITORING YEAST AND BACTERIA. FOR THIS LOT, A NATURAL MOSTO WAS DEVELOPED USING GEISHA CHERRIES FERMENTED WITH SIMPLE SYRUP AND HOPS, ENCOURAGING YEAST ACTIVITY. PULPED COFFEE FERMENTS FOR FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS, WITH PH AND BRIX CLOSELY MONITORED. ONCE READY, THE MOSTO IS USED TO INOCULATE FRESHLY DEPULPED COFFEE, WHICH FERMENTS FOR 72 HOURS BEFORE WASHING AND SLOW DRYING ON RAISED BEDS.

NATURAL

THIS LOT USES A YEAST-RICH MOSTO ORIGINALLY ISOLATED FROM HEIRLOOM VARIETIES ON THE FARM. CHERRIES ARE FERMENTED WITH THE MOSTO FOR 24 HOURS IN STAINLESS STEEL TANKS AFTER RINSING AND FLOATING. THE ADDITION OF HOPS HELPS SUPPRESS UNWANTED BACTERIA WHILE ENCOURAGING DESIRABLE YEAST DEVELOPMENT. AFTER FERMENTATION, THE COFFEE IS DRIED SLOWLY ON RAISED BEDS, PRESERVING CLARITY AND COMPLEXITY IN THE FINAL CUP.