Harmony Coffee Roaster
ESMERALDA CHIROSO
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Finca La Esmeralda - Colombia Natural Chiroso
A rare natural Chiroso from Finca La Esmeralda, delivering an intensely expressive cup of thyme, eucalyptus, blackberry and white peach, with exceptional sweetness and structure.
Suitable for: Espresso & Filter Brewing
Best As: Filter or Espresso (Black or Milk)
Flavour Characteristics
Thyme, Eucalyptus, Blackberry, Greengage, White Peach
Origin & Producer Details
Producer: Cesar Buesaquillo
Region: Buenavista, Colombia
Variety: Chiroso
Process: Natural
Sourced via: Cofinet
Recommended Rest
For the best tasting brew, we recommend enjoying this coffee between 24–40 days off roast. You can read more about resting coffee here.
Check out our other Natural Coffee Beans
About The Producer - Cesar Buesaquillo
Don Cesar Buesaquillo, born into a traditional Colombian coffee farming family, is the proud owner of Finca La Esmeralda, a six-hectare farm situated at an impressive altitude of 1,800 metres above sea level in the picturesque municipality of Buenavista, Quindio.
About Finca La Esmeralda
Location & Environment
This region, nestled in Colombia's famed Coffee Cultural Landscape (a UNESCO World Heritage site), is renowned for its exceptional conditions for cultivating high-quality coffee.
When visiting Don Cesar, one is greeted not only by a spectacular panoramic view across his land but also by the rich biodiversity he has cultivated. Shade trees such as Guamo, Yarumo, and Carbonero grace the farm alongside crops like plantain, banana, and avocado.
A Family-Run Operation
The management of La Esmeralda is truly a family endeavour.
Cesar, his wife Maria, and their son Kevin work in close partnership to run all aspects of the farm. Maria is a vital force in the business; guiding, supporting, and sharing in every major decision. Their unity and collaborative spirit are foundational to the farm’s ongoing success.
Cesar’s Journey Into Coffee
Early Life & Background
Cesar’s deep-rooted passion for coffee began in childhood.
With parents who worked as coffee pickers and later as farm managers, Cesar grew up immersed in the rhythms of Colombian coffee farming. Around 20 years ago, his parents purchased Finca La Esmeralda, which the family continues to own and cultivate with pride today.
Transition to Specialty Coffee
The early years of production posed significant challenges.
Coming from a background steeped in traditional farming practices and commodity-grade coffee, Cesar faced the complex task of transitioning to specialty coffee cultivation. Determined to elevate quality, he began planting unique varieties such as Chiroso and the highly sought-after Gesha.
Embracing innovation, he now actively experiments with natural coffee processing techniques and remains committed to the belief that quality must be the cornerstone of the coffee industry’s future.
About Coffee Growing in Quindio, Colombia
Quindio is one of Colombia's most celebrated coffee growing regions - known for its rich volcanic soils, high-altitude climate and breathtaking landscapes. The region is home to many world-leading coffee farms that are capable of producing unbelievably high-quality coffees, thanks in no small part to its year-round stable temperatures, which result in slow maturation of the coffee cherries, producing coffees with pronounced sweetness, high clarity and vibrant acidity.
The region itself is located within the UNESCO world heritage site, as part of the coffee cultural landscape, yet has also become a world leading hub of innovation, with many producers taking on experimental processing and advanced fermentation techniques to broaden their repertoire, pushing the boundaries of coffee cultivation and output quality.
What is the Chiroso Coffee Variety?
Chiroso is a remarkably rare coffee variety from the Arabica species that has gained recognition for its high cup quality, complex and intense florals, and delicate, silky body. Originally, it was thought that the variety delineated from Bourbon, or Caturra - but more recent research indicates that Chiroso is more likely to have derived from Ethiopian Landraces.
Up until recently, Chiroso has been grown almost exclusively in Colombia, in regions such as Antioquia and Caldas, but as the popularity of the variety has grown, so too has its prevalence in other regions of Colombia.
Chiroso's Unique Flavour Profile
Chiroso is known for producing exceptionally expressive and high-clarity coffees, with pronounced florality, citrusy acidity, a unique herbaceousness, big sweetness and a silky body.
This has led many to compare the variety to Gesha and Sidra, noting the similarities between these varieties.
Natural Coffee Processing At Finca La Esmeralda
At Finca La Esmeralda, Cesar Buesaquillo has become known for his work with high quality coffee varieties and his growing focus on natural processing techniques that highlight the characteristics of coffees like Chiroso. For his natural processing methods, only perfectly ripe cherries are hand picked, ensuring maximum sweetness and consistency in the lot, with each cherry containing an extremely high Brix content.
After harvest, the whole cherries are spread out on raised drying beds where they are dried, turning regularly to promote even drying, controlled fermentation and to prevent any possible drying related defects, while promoting maximum consistency across the coffees.
This process produces coffees with an incredibly high sweetness, which in this coffee is expressed as vibrant fruit-forward characteristics, alongside a rich, structured body and exceptional clarity in the cup.
About Cofinet
Cofinet is a Colombian coffee company built on an 80-year-long family tradition of growing and distributing some of the finest Colombian coffees. Founded by Carlos and Felipe Arcila, sons of Jairo Arcila and Luz Helena Salazar, Cofinet combines deep rooted experience with a forward-thinking approach to sourcing and processing. As growers themselves, they specialise in alternative fermentation techniques, working with exotic varieties both on their own farms and at their processing centre, La Pradera.
At its core, Cofinet is focused on building long-term, sustainable relationships with producers, providing stable income sources while promoting ethical purchasing and cultivation practices. Their support has been instrumental in the development of farmers like Cesar Buesaquillo, offering technical guidance tailored to specific soil and microclimates. Through this partnership, Cofinet helps connect exceptional producers with roasters around the world, making coffees like this natural Chiroso from La Esmeralda possible.
Cesar's journey into specialty coffee has been greatly supported by Cofinet, who provided invaluable technical assistance tailored to the specific needs of his soil and microclimate.
He credits this support as a key factor in his growth and success as a coffee producer.
How to Brew This Coffee
Because this coffee is expressive and fruit-forward, accurate dose and yield help you hit the sweet spot. We strongly recommend using a reliable scale — see our guide, The Best Coffee Scales, and our bench favourite, the Felicita Parallel.
Brewing tips
- Rest window: Follow the recommended 24–40 days off roast for best clarity, flavour intensity and balance.
- Filter brewing: Start with a 1:16–1:17 ratio and a medium-fine grind, adjusting to balance florals and fruit intensity.
- Espresso: We have enjoyed this coffee best at between 1:2 - 1:2.2, brewed in about 30 seconds, where we achieve lots of jam-like characteristics and a syrupy body.
- Best recipe: Orea v4, 16g coffee, 250g water, 2:30 brew time. I'm using a higher dose than usual on this coffee because it gives up its soluble material very easily, so we can get heaps of body out of this brew.
Explore More Recipes
To try out more recipes from world-class coffee brewers, we've compiled this blog, featuring the best filter coffee recipes of 2026 from some of the world's best filter coffee brewers.
Explore other coffees
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Hatuhei - Gorgeous East Timor washed coffee with white grape, red apple and milk chocolate notes. Perfect for espresso and filter brewing.
- El Vergel Decaf - Quite possibly the best decaf coffee we've ever found. It's called 'Really good decaf' for a reason. World class flavour, without the buzz.
- Kibaya — Rwanda washed Red Bourbon. A very high-clarity washed lot with citrusy and black tea characteristics.
- El Diamante - Elegant Peruvian coffee with Silver Needle tea, red berries, and maple sweetness. High altitude growth delivers clarity, structure, and refined acidity.
- Consuelo Rubio Sidra - A high clarity anaerobic washed Sidra coffee from Peru. Herbaceous and exceptionally interesting!
- Browse our single-origin coffees
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FAQs
What does this coffee taste like?
This coffee delivers an intensely expressive cup with flavour characteristics of thyme, eucalyptus, blackberry, greengage and white peach, with exceptional sweetness and structure.
Who produced this coffee?
This coffee was produced by Cesar Buesaquillo at Finca La Esmeralda, a six-hectare farm located at 1,800 metres above sea level in Buenavista, Quindio, Colombia.
What is Chiroso coffee?
Chiroso is a remarkably rare Arabica coffee variety known for its high cup quality, complex florals, citrusy acidity, high sweetness and a delicate, silky body.
How is this coffee processed?
This coffee is naturally processed, where only perfectly ripe cherries are hand picked and dried on raised beds, turned regularly to promote even drying, controlled fermentation and consistency.
How should I brew this coffee?
For best results, use accurate dose and yield. For filter brewing, start with a 1:16–1:17 ratio and a medium-fine grind. For espresso, use a ratio between 1:2 and 1:2.2 in around 30 seconds.
How long should I rest this coffee?
For the best tasting brew, we recommend enjoying this coffee between 24–40 days off roast for optimal clarity, flavour intensity and balance.
