What makes 90+ geisha coffee beans different?

90+ (Ninety Plus) is an American green bean company founded by Joseph Brodsky in 2006. Its name also refers to cupping scores above 90 points. The company uses its own Profile Processing system, intervening from selection and breeding through processing, which produces geisha coffee beans such as Eleta and Juliette with distinctive flavors.

Eleta carries notes of longan and spice, while Juliette shows grape and champagne flavors. Because 90+ controls the coffee process rather than simply buying lots, its beans are easy to identify in a cupping lineup. The article covers the company's philosophy, estate story, and flavor and brewing suggestions for both beans.

In coffee enthusiast circles, the name "90+" always sparks heated discussion—it represents both the exceptional quality of a cup score above 90 and the name of an American green bean company. Founded by Joseph Brodsky in 2006, this company, with its unique Profile Processing production system, intervenes from selection and breeding to processing, creating Geisha coffees like Eleta and Juliette with highly distinctive flavors. Front Street Coffee currently has both of these 90+ Geishas for sale. This article will walk you through 90+'s core philosophy, the estate's story, and the flavor profiles and brewing suggestions for these two beans, so you can feel for yourself why they're recognizable at first sip.

Mention "90+" and many people's first reaction is a score. But in the coffee world, the moment you bring up 90+, it almost instantly sets off a wave of discussion. The topics everyone cares about are always: what new bean has 90+ released lately? What ingenious processing method did they use this time? So today, Front Street is here to introduce you to what exactly 90+ is all about.

What is 90+?

90+ (Ninety Plus) is the name of an American green bean company. In the context of coffee cupping, it means above 90 points—usually only exceptionally outstanding beans can earn such a high score. So many people interpret the company name 90+ as: an enterprise that only deals in beans scoring above 90.

This interpretation certainly has its basis. Beans from 90+ are indeed quite outstanding—for example, the Eleta currently sold by Front Street, with its notes of longan and spice, and the Juliette, which presents grape and champagne flavors, are both products under 90+. When cupped alongside other beans, they're easy to identify as belonging to the 90+ series—that uniqueness can't be replicated elsewhere. And this uniqueness is thanks to the production system 90+ built for itself: Profile Processing.

90+ Profile Processing

As mentioned earlier, 90+ is a green bean company—in plain terms, a green bean trader. What sets it apart from other green bean traders is the Profile Processing system that founder Joseph Brodsky established at the company's founding.

The typical green bean trader's purchasing process is much like ours: first judge the flavor through cupping (that is, drinking), then select and purchase from quality coffee beans. Essentially, this is buying green beans others have grown and reselling them. What makes 90+ different is that they weren't satisfied with only playing the purchasing role—from selection and breeding to processing, they wanted to be involved personally, that is, to produce high-quality green coffee themselves. After the company was founded in 2006, this plan was officially set in motion.

In the early days of the startup, 90+ was still very small, and its funds simply weren't enough to support intervening in every stage of green bean production. So they chose to start with coffee processing, since the technical mastery of flavor control was in their own hands. The specific approach was: first buy freshly picked coffee cherries from nearby farmers, transport them back to the processing plant for meticulous post-processing. Aricha and Beloya were born under these conditions.

These two beans displayed extremely rich fruit notes and quickly caused a sensation after release, earning 90+ tremendous reputation right from the start. With fame came income. With funds, they could extend into other stages of green bean production. So 90+ took the opportunity to select promising farmers and gradually permeate every stage of green bean production. In the end, 90+ could, according to the flavor direction it desired, set requirements at different levels for farmers and processing plants respectively, getting them to cooperate better and gradually adjust the beans into the preset flavor framework.

But 90+ didn't stop there. The produced beans still had to go through another round of screening, until the batch that best met the set standards was found, before being officially released for sale. It's fair to say that 90+'s beans being able to consistently maintain a top-tier level is by no means luck or coincidence, but the result of their careful maintenance, and the core value they've always adhered to.

90+'s Estate

In 2009, having achieved success in Ethiopia, 90+ returned to Panama with years of accumulated technology and experience, and established "Ninety Plus Geisha Estate." Because during their time in Ethiopia they hadn't found a variety comparable to Geisha, they simply chose Geisha directly, pouring all their years of honed technology into it, letting Geisha surpass Geisha. Five years later, in 2014, this estate finally produced coffee beans, and the 90+ series was thus born. The Eleta Geisha and Juliette Geisha mentioned earlier by Front Street both come from this series.

Introduction to 90+ Estate's Geisha Coffee Beans

On Front Street's bean list are two 90+ Geishas with particularly beautiful names: Juliette and Eleta. The medium roast allows their full-bodied juiciness and rich floral aroma to be perfectly presented. Front Street dares to say these two beans completely live up to the 90+ name.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Ninety Plus 90+ Geisha · Eleta Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán

Estate: Ninety Plus

Variety: Geisha

Altitude: 1400-1800 meters

Processing: 90+ special processing

Flavor: Bergamot, sweet orange, pineapple, longan, dried fruit, apple

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Ninety Plus 90+ Geisha · Juliette Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán

Estate: Ninety Plus

Variety: Geisha

Altitude: 1400-1800 meters

Processing: 90+ special processing

Flavor: Muscat grape, champagne, perfume lemon, full and round body, long and pleasant high-sweetness finish

Brewing Suggestions for 90+ Geisha Coffee

Coffee beans: 90+ Eleta Geisha, 90+ Juliette Geisha

Dripper: V60

Water temperature: 92℃

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: fine sugar consistency (80% passing a No. 20 sieve)

These two beans also belong to 90+ special processing, and after tasting, Front Street surmises they lean toward the anaerobic natural type. Therefore, we recommend grinding a bit finer, so that these fast-draining beans can get a suitable extraction.

Fold the filter paper to fit the dripper, wet it with a small amount of water while also making it sit more snugly, and discard the water in the server. Then pour in the coffee grounds, tap lightly to distribute the bed evenly. For the first pour, gently add 30 grams of water to bloom for 30 seconds; for the second pour, add water to about 135 grams, circling outward evenly and steadily. When the coffee liquid drops to halfway, pour the final round of water to 225 grams. Once all the coffee has dripped through, with a total extraction time of about 2 minutes, a cup of 90+ Geisha is ready.

Come 2019, after the Geisha Estate, 90+ acquired another plot of land and established a new 90+ estate. This plot is located near the Barú volcano, so it was named "Ninety Plus Barú Estates." Nourished by volcanic soil, we believe 90+ will continue to produce even more delicious coffee beans. Front Street calculates: established in 2019, five years of cultivation—now we just need to wait a little longer to taste a brand-new flavor from 90+ Barú Estates. It's well worth looking forward to.

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