FINCA ZARZA, Colombia (SCA Score 90.8)
FINCA ZARZA, Colombia (SCA Score 90.8)

FINCA ZARZA, Colombia (SCA Score 90.8)

Regular price £26.50
Sale price £26.50 Regular price £0.00

This Pacamara Natural from Jhonatan Gasca is part of our Competition Coffees collection, an elite tier reserved for coffees that perform at the highest level. From the same producer whose lots have graced the World Barista Championship stage, most notably used by Jack Simpson on his path to becoming the 2025 World Barista Champion. This coffee represents that same standard of excellence in every cup. Grown at 1,550–1,800 MASL in Bruselas, Huila, it delivers an exuberant tropical fruit profile: kiwi, pineapple, and ripe strawberry layered over brilliant acidity, a juicy body, and an impressively long, clean finish.

Weight

Pickup available at Coffee House

Usually ready in 24 hours

FINCA ZARZA, Colombia (SCA Score 90.8)

100g / Whole bean

  • Coffee House

    Pickup available, usually ready in 24 hours

    1 Market Place
    Chippenham SN15 3HD
    United Kingdom

  • Roastery

    Pickup available, usually ready in 24 hours

    Unit C11
    Bumpers Way
    Chippenham SN14 6LH
    United Kingdom

    +441249263437

What is score?

  • The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) is the global body that sets the standards for specialty coffee. Their scoring system, based on a 100-point scale, evaluates coffees based on various factors like aroma, flavour, acidity, body, aftertaste, sweetness and balance. Coffees scoring 80+ are considered specialty grade, with those scoring 86+ representing the top tier of quality and complexity.

What is single origin?

  • Single origin means the coffee comes from one specific region, farm, or cooperative, rather than a blend from multiple places. This allows you to experience the unique characteristics of that area’s climate, soil, and processing methods.

What are tasting notes?

  • Tasting notes describe the natural flavours found in the coffee, such as chocolate, citrus, or floral tones. These are not added flavours but arise from the bean’s variety, growing conditions, and roasting process.

What is the processing method?

  • This refers to how coffee beans are removed from the cherry after harvesting, which influences their final taste.
  • Free UK Royal Mail tracked 48 delivery on all orders over £25.
  • For orders under £25 delivery is charged at £2.95.
  • Coffees roasted to order. One business day before dispatch.
  • Worldwide delivery available, calculated at checkout.

COFFEE OVERVIEW

NOTES: Aromatic, Kiwi, Pineapple, Juicy
SCORE: 90.8
PRODUCER: Jonathan Gasca
ALTITUDE: 1,550 - 1,800 masl
VARIETAL: Pacamara
PROCESSING: Natural

Jhonatan Gasca

Jhonatan Gasca is no stranger to failure. In 2010, he failed in his attempt to become a professional soccer player. After re-routing his future and graduating from the Colombian National Technical Institute, Jhonatan returned to his father's coffee farm and started experimenting with fermentation methods. The early results were discouraging, and he stepped away from processing experimentation for years. Finally, in 2018, encouraged by his friends from El Diviso and Las Flores to try again, he thrived. Today, he is rapidly becoming one of Colombia's most recognized voices in processing innovation, with coffees that have reached the highest stages of international competition.

Finca Zarza

Finca Zarza is a 6-hectare family farm nestled in the Brussels Mountains of Huila, Colombia, one of the country's most celebrated coffee-growing regions. The name connects to the Gasca family surname, which is associated with the blackberry plant, a nod to the deep roots and resilience that define this place. Sitting at elevations between 1,550 and 1,800 masl, the farm is dedicated to growing exceptional special varieties, with Pacamara and Pink Bourbon as its crown jewels, harvested between October and December. What makes Zarza truly distinctive is its integration of beekeeping alongside coffee cultivation, a deliberate and conscious choice that honours the role bees play in the health of the crop and the surrounding ecosystem.

Natural Processing

After being picked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are placed in 200-liter tanks with water, where floaters and other impurities are removed. The water is then drained, and a second round of quality sorting by hand follows. The cherries are left to oxidize for 48 hours in open bags, giving them time to warm up and enhancing both sweetness and fruit flavours.

After two days, the bags are closed to prepare the cherries for 150 hours of anaerobic fermentation. During this time, the sugars in the still-intact mucilage interact with lactic acid bacteria and microorganisms in the fermentation environment, further intensifying those fruity flavours. Finally, the cherries are spread out to dry on African beds for two weeks, being closely monitored for humidity.

After being picked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are placed in 200-liter tanks with water, where floaters and other impurities are removed. The water is then drained, and a second round of quality sorting by hand follows. The cherries are left to oxidize for 48 hours in open bags, giving them time to warm up and enhancing both sweetness and fruit flavours.

After two days, the bags are closed to prepare the cherries for 150 hours of anaerobic fermentation. During this time, the sugars in the still-intact mucilage interact with lactic acid bacteria and microorganisms in the fermentation environment, further intensifying those fruity flavours. Finally, the cherries are spread out to dry on African beds for two weeks, being closely monitored for humidity.