What is a gesha, and how did Wang Ce brew his Panama lot?

Wang Ce won the 2017 World Brewers Cup in Budapest using Panama 90+ Geisha Estate #227, a lot he picked from over three hundred on a cupping table. His presentation tied coffee, barista and customer through the idea of memory, and it included a ceramic V60 dripper, water quality control and staged tasting.

The estate sits in Volcan, Panama, at Silla de Pando, covering 183 hectares with more than a third still forest. For anyone asking what is a gesha, the answer is this aromatic Panama gesha coffee varietal, and Wang Ce's script shows how terroir, processing, roast curve and brewing parameters come together in competition.

It has been some time since the 2017 World Brewers Cup came to a close, and many coffee lovers left messages asking about champion Wang Ce's competition script and its Chinese translation. To that end, we have compiled this complete Chinese translation of his presentation, along with a review of past champions. On the stage in Budapest, Wang Ce used Panama 90+ Geisha Estate #227 batch coffee beans as his medium, and through a carefully designed brewing regimen, he narrated the "connection" between coffee, barista, and customer. From terroir and processing method to roast curve, brewing parameters, and tasting guidance, the entire presentation was logically clear and emotionally sincere. Front Street Coffee particularly recommends paying attention to the details in the text regarding the ceramic V60 dripper, water quality control, and staged tasting—these have high reference value for everyday brewing practice.

It has been over a month since the 2017 World Brewers Cup ended, and many friends have left messages asking about champion Wang Ce's competition script and its Chinese translation, so without further ado, here it is.

Due to technical limitations, this article cannot embed the competition video. If you wish to watch it, please go to Tencent Video and search for "Wang Ce competition." All images in this article were taken at the World Competition site in Budapest. Please do not use them without permission. For reprints, please contact us via the backend. Thank you for your cooperation.

Chinese Translation

Dear judges, welcome. I'm Chad. Over the past year, I've had many opportunities to taste different coffees, and it is precisely these experiences that have greatly changed my understanding of coffee. I gradually realized that coffee is actually pieced together from fragments of "memory." So today, I hope to connect the relationship between coffee, barista, and customer. First, please allow me to warm the cups for our guests with hot water. Now, I invite you to open your memories and welcome new perspectives. Let's start with batch #227—this is the one I selected especially for you last month from over three hundred coffee beans on the cupping table in Panama.

90+ Geisha Estate is located in Volcan (the volcanic region) of Panama, in a place called Silla de Pando. The estate covers a total area of 183 hectares, of which more than one-third is covered by tall wild shade trees. The high altitude of 1,800 meters makes daytime temperatures relatively high, while at night, the moist sea breeze from the Pacific causes temperatures to drop sharply. The diurnal temperature difference can reach 8 to 30 degrees Celsius, with humidity maintained at 80%. Such microclimatic conditions nurture coffee cherries of outstanding quality. This beautiful land makes life more abundant and vibrant—not only the coffee, but also the more than two hundred coffee workers and their families.

This is your table card. Ladies first. Judges, next I will provide information step by step. I hope you can relax and enjoy my presentation without worrying about taking notes. The table card in front of you can be taken backstage as a reference.

In mid-March of this year, the purple ripe coffee cherries of batch 227 were hand-picked one by one. They were then placed in glass boxes and fermented in a dark room at a constant low temperature. Afterward, they were spread in a single layer and slowly dried for 21 days in the "Blue Room" (a processing room named after the child of 90+ founder Joseph Brodsky). This is a brand-new processing method, but what does this have to do with today? Please imagine: for a cup of "clean" coffee, workers must pick cherries of uniform color, and the subsequent fermentation process breaks down sugars into lactic acid and aromatic ester molecules, presenting in your mouth as a "pineapple-like acidity." The processing information from the origin is certainly important, but it only truly has value when I, as the barista, connect this information with you and this cup of coffee.

Our connection begins with roasting. My roaster, Yu Qing, roasted my competition beans right here in Budapest. The roast date was three days ago, lasting 9 minutes and 20 seconds, with an Agtron color value of 70-87. This roast profile gives this coffee a honey-like sweetness and rich layers of complexity.

As a coffee brewer, I seek the most suitable brewing method for each coffee. Today, I chose the ceramic V60 dripper because of its excellent heat retention and its ability to allow the coffee to reveal more varied acidity as it transitions from hot to cold, making this cup more refined. I use filter paper to ensure a clean mouthfeel, and I pre-wet the paper backstage to bring the V60 down to room temperature—the cold ceramic material can enhance the intensity of aroma. This is our second connection today.

I place the ground coffee into this black glass jar to reduce oxidation from air contact and sunlight exposure. Today's recipe is: 15 grams of coffee grounds, 250 milliliters of water, yielding 220 milliliters of coffee liquid. At the same time, I used a finer grind—you can see the exact grind parameters on the table card in front of you. This method increases body. I also brought my own brewing water, in which impurities have been filtered and magnesium added to enhance sweetness. The water has a TDS of 70 and a pH of 6.8, giving my coffee a soft texture and a clean finish.

The water heating temperature is set to 93 degrees Celsius, which means the actual pouring temperature is 92 degrees Celsius—for my coffee beans, this is the ideal density and momentum. To be more specific, the direction of bubble flow in the water and the weight of the water both affect extraction. Based on the roast time, I will bloom for 30 seconds to enhance the sweet-and-sour quality of this coffee. After blooming, I will pour steadily toward the center, avoiding unnecessary disturbance caused by the fine grind.

Both kettles are filled with water to maintain temperature stability. I will brew three pots simultaneously so that I can serve coffee to three people at the same time.

My total extraction time is 2 minutes, with a target TDS of 1.42, which makes the coffee cleaner while intensifying aroma and flavor. While I brew for you, please listen to some music and relax, and turn the menu over to the back, where all of our connections today are written.

Thank you for your patience. No matter how many times I make coffee, every flavor transformation that comes with temperature change makes me marvel at how wonderful coffee is. So here, I will provide you with two sets of flavor information. First, please turn the menu over again, and let me explain the flavor information when it is hot.

First, the aroma: you will smell melon, followed by mixed stone fruit aromas such as apricot and peach, then transitioning to sweet creamy caramel, and finally hibiscus flower.

In terms of flavor, you will likewise experience a strong melon note, followed by white peach, fresh orange blossom, and then sweet dark caramel.

In terms of aftertaste, first comes an exotic kiwi, then transitioning to banana liqueur, and finally a pink grapefruit finish.

Please take a close look at these three coffee ground walls—each cup was brewed to the same height. I used 15 grams of coffee grounds, and the ground wall is 7 centimeters high and 4 centimeters thick, balancing acidity and body. Now, let's begin tasting—this is also our third connection today.

Please refer to the information on the table card, which includes drinking instructions. First, I will serve you by tasting the wet aroma directly from the sharing pitcher. Please take your time, and I will use this time to prepare your cup.

Please use a cupping spoon to taste the flavor and acidity, then drink directly from the cup to experience the body and aftertaste. Because you will be drinking directly from the cup, I have created a closed heat-retention system using hot water and towels, so that the rim of the cup is warm when you drink.

As the temperature drops, more tropical fruit notes will emerge in the flavor, such as mango.

The aftertaste also begins to shift toward sweeter citrus fruits, like blood orange.

In terms of acidity, it is medium to high intensity—initially like peach acidity, then becoming brighter, like pineapple.

Medium body, smooth, syrup-like texture.

In summary, this coffee is both elegant and layered, while also clean and clear. I think it is simply wonderful, so judges, besides scoring, please let yourselves fully enjoy this beautiful coffee.

My presentation is coming to an end. I want to tell you here what coffee truly means to me—connection. As a barista, simply making a good cup of coffee is not enough; what matters more is how we perceive and how we connect relationships. It has been a pleasure brewing coffee for you today. I'm Chad.

Original Text

English

Judges, a very warm welcome. I'm Chad. My perception of coffee was changed last year through opportunities in tasting. That's when I realized how "memory" makes up our coffee. Today I wish to connect the coffee, the barista and the guest. First I warm the cups for my guests with hot water. Now I invite you to open up your perception into memory and new horizons. We begin with #227, the coffee I picked for you, out of 300 coffees on a coffee table in Panama last month.

The NP Gesha Estate is located in Volcan, Silla de Pando. Its 182 hectares with over 1/3 coverage of tall wild shade. It's hot in the day due to the high altitude of 1800 meters, and cold in the night from the mist of the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures range from 8-30 degrees, with humidity of 80%. Conditions produce superior cherries. Life flourishes on this beautiful land, where 200 pickers and their families call home.

And here are your menus. Judges I'll be giving you information today, but please don't rush to make notes. You may take the menu backstage to compare later, for these ten minuets please enjoy my presentation.

For my coffee, purple gesha cherries from lot 227 were hand picked in mid January. Fermented in a glass box under constant low temperature in the dark room. Dried on a single layer slowly for 21 days in the blue room. A new processing, but why is this relevant. Please imagine that picking of the uniform colored cherries ensures a "clean cup", and fermentation breaking down sugar to produce lactic acid and aromatic ester compounds which you will taste as "pineapple acidity". Processing information are valuable to producers of course, but I believe that it's only relevant to the guests, if the barista help you connect and relate to the cup that your served.

Our connection begins with roasting, my roaster Yu Qing roasted the coffee right here in Budapest. She roasted 3 days ago, to Agtron 70-87 for 9:20. The profile gives "honey-like" sweetness and complexity of the cup.

As a brewer, I search for the best brew method for each and every coffee. I chose the ceramic V60 today because it's temperature stable and high lighted a "dynamic acidity" from hot to cold, making my brew more sophisticated. I use filter papjr for clarity in the cup, and I pre-wet the paper backstage, allowed my V60 to cool to room temperature. Brewing on cool ceramic enhances the "intensity in aroma". This is our second connection.

I sealed my ground coffee in this dark glass bottle to reduce oxidation of light and air exposure. And my recipe for today, 15 grams of ground coffee, 250ml of water, to brew 220ml of beverage. I'm using fine grind and you can see the grind size on the menu. This increases the "viscosity" of the body. I also brought my own water, it was filtered to remove impurities and add magnesium for natural sweetness. It's 70 TDS, pH 6.8 and it gives my brew a soft mouth feel and clean finish.

Temperatures were set at 93 degrees which means the pouring temperature is 92 for optimum density and kinetics. By this I mean the movement of bubbles, and the weight of the water which affects the extraction. I pre-infuse for 30 seconds to enhance the sweet acidity for this roast date.

After pre-infusion I pour steadily down the center to avoid any unnecessary turbulence with fine grind.

Both kettles are full of water for stability in temperature. I brew three at once so I serve at the same time.

My total time will be 2 minutes for clean cup, target TDS 1.42 for intensity in aroma and flavour. While I brew, please turn the menu over, you'll find a summary of our connections today. Relax and enjoy the music.

Thank you for waiting. It never ceases to amaze me how coffee changes with temperature, thus I give you two profiles for this coffee. Let's go through the cup profile for when the coffee is hot whilst referring to your menu. Please turn your menu again.

In the aroma you first find melon, followed by mixed stone fruits like peach, apricot, sweet butterscotch caramel, with hibiscus in the end.

The flavour is overwhelming with melon, followed by white peach, fresh orange blossom, dark honey finish.

The aftertaste is exotic kiwi fruit first, which turns to banana liqueur and pink grapefruit finish.

Please take a moment to observe the coffee packs, to see that all the heights are the same for consistency. I used 15g of coffee for my coffee pack to be 7cm, with a 4cm triangular solid cone to balance the acidity and body. Let's move on to tasting, our third connection.

Please refer to the instruction on the menu, I will serve the carafe for you to assess aroma. Please, you can take the carafe for swirl. Thank you for waiting.

Moving on.

When assessing flavour and acidity, please use your cupping spoons. For body and aftertaste, please drink directly from the cup.

Because you'll be drinking from the cup, so I created a closed thermo-system with hot water and cloth, the rims will be warm for you to sip.

When the coffee is warm, you will find more tropical fruits like mango.

Aftertaste, more sweet citrus fruits like blood orange.

Acidity, medium-high intensity, sweet like peach first, and turns bright to vibrant pineapple.

Body, medium intensity, syrupy and smooth texture.

Overall, this very sophisticated cup, fruity and rich when hot, clean and transparent when warm. Judges, this coffee is so good, so amazing. Apart from evaluation judges, please enjoy it.

And as we come to an end, I'd like to leave you with a thought of what drinking filter coffee really means for me. Connection. A good barista doesn't just make good coffee, we sense and we connect. It was a pleasure to brew for you. I am Chad.

Time

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.