Competition at Friedhats usually means coffee from Cafe Granja La Esperanza. This year we got four lots from them, including Sudan Rume that we already launched and is almost sold out. For those who don’t know Cafe Granja La Esperanza: They were one of the pioneers when it comes to growing different varieties and trying new processing techniques. They have five farms in the cauca valley in the west part of Colombia. This year we bought coffees from Cerro Azul and from Las margaritas. Cerro Azul is their most prize-winning highest elevation farm where they only grow gesha. It was the washed gesha from Cerro Azul that blew me away for the first time in 2015, so we got both the natural and hybrid washed process. As a side note: hybrid washed pretty much means that it’s not really washed and not really natural. Maybe they just couldn’t decide on what it should be. In terms of flavor though, there’s quite a difference. The natural is powerful, high flavor intensity, very juicy and sweet with notes of raspberry candy, pink guava nectar and cascara. The hybrid washed on the other hand is very delicate, citric, tea like and very clean. It has notes of melon, jasmine pearls and peach. The natural is like a sledgehammer: big, bold and powerful, it will crush everything that comes in its way. The hybrid washed is more like a stiletto very quiet and subtle… but it will still kill you (: The competition preparations for 2026 have already started even though not all 2025 champions are crowned yet. Gotta get in early (: