Colombia El Encanto - Franky Hoyos - Advanced Natural Gesha

We Taste - Fruity pebbles, cherry tootsie roll, silky

A third generation cafetero from Pitalito, Huila, Franky Hoyos grew up immersed in coffee on his family's farm. As a young producer, Franky has elevated his connection to the cup by honing his roasting, barista, and sensory skills. From a quality-as-experience perspective, he began experimenting with complex fermentation processes. His conclusions include a remarkably fruit-forward Gesha varietal microlot that pops with sweet fermentation character.

The Gesha variety hails from Ethiopia and is highly sought-after due to its exceptional sweetness and elegant aromatic profile. The process on Franky's farm, El Encanto, starts by picking only ripe Gesha cherry and sorting them by Brix meter (22-28) for sweetness. At the processing station, the cherry are given an initial forty hours of open-air fermentation. The mill team then rinses and sanitizes the cherry before transferring to drums, open-air for another six hours. To open the coffee's pores, a thermal shock treatment with 122℉ water is administered. The cherry slurry is inoculated with yeasts derived from citrus and cacao, then sealed airtight for a seventy hour anaerobic fermentation. The added yeasts direct the fermentation towards a desirable floral, fruit character. To stop fermentation while still in the benefit zone, the cherry is washed and mechanically dried (dehydrated) at a low temperature for forty hours. Finally, the coffee is rested fifteen days to lock in the desired flavor character. 

At a light roast, the resulting cup yields an intense fragrance and aroma, popping with classic Gesha character like floral, lemon, lime, but also chocolate candy and red fruits. Brewing 2-3 weeks off-roast gives cherry tootsie roll and Fruity Pebbles in a juicy, silky cup. We look forward to sharing this limited time microlot on the shelf, but also at the United States Barista Championship in mid-June. Cheer on roaster and lead barista Stephanie Hernandez as she competes in espresso, milk drinks, and signature beverages categories amongst some of the country's best baristas.

Roast: Light - 2-3 weeks off-roast yield sweet, silky cups.
Process: Advanced Natural - Ripe cherries are open-air fermented for forty hours, then rinsed and sanitized. They are fermented for another six hours, then thermally shocked to 122℉, which opens the coffee's pores, preparing the cherry to be inoculated with yeast derived from citrus and cacao extracts. The coffee is sealed in drums and submerged in water for seventy hours to finish the fermentation. The still intact cherry is washed and dried mechanically over forty hours before being rested for fifteen days.
Varieties: Gesha
Elevation: 1650 masl
Location: Cafarnaum, Pitalito, Huila, Colombia
Producer: Franky Hoyos
Farm: Finca El Encanto "The Charm" (10 hectares)
Exporter: KWC
Grades / Certifications: Microlot
Harvest: Nov. - Dec. 2025

Brew Guides
Espresso: 1:2.8 in 25-28 sec.
Filter: 1:17.0