Ebert Huaman Villegas.

At Hulikere Estate in Chikmagalur’s Baba Budangiri hills, this S795 lot is harvested at peak ripeness before undergoing a full washed process. Cherries are pulped, fermented, then dried on raised beds under regulated shade, with moisture checked by hand and instrument alike. Hulikere has been farmed by the same family for five generations. Today, it’s stewarded by Shreedev Hulikere, alongside his wife Sushmita. They run the estate as a working example of coffee and conservation together, home to over 200 bird species and three of the region’s apex predators.

This washed S795 comes from Ginimao Estate in Karnataka’s Baba Budangiri hills, part of the KaadKaapi forest coffee collective. Farmers here keep native shade canopies intact, protecting habitat for leopards and elephants. For KaadKaapi producers growing great coffee is inseparable from protecting the jungle, both are so intertwined they see themselves as conservationist more than coffee producers. Ginimao Estate has been farmed by the Rebello family since 1903, now run by second-generation farmer Steven Rebello. The estate holds Rainforest Alliance certification and borders the Bhadra Tiger Reserve, part of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site responsible for over a third of India’s wildlife.

A dry anaerobic washed Geisha Inca SL9 from La Lucuma in Cajamarca, Peru, produced by Franco Huaches. Nectarine, white grape and magnolia notes make this a crisp, highly aromatic cup with vivid stone-fruit sweetness.

Coffee is all about relationships, so we’re excited to showcase this lot, which marks the beginning of a new relationship with Chacra Coffee, a Peruvian specialty coffee exporter. This lovely Geisha lot from Miguel Lopez is a great example of his simple, quality-focused approach, which is refreshingly evident here.