How Do Gesha Village Coffee Grades Differ?

Gesha Village in Ethiopia sorts its Geisha production into five grades: Auction, Gold, Red, Green, and Chaka. Auction lots are the top tier left after repeated selection and make up just 3.7 percent of the village's total Geisha output, so they are sold only through global auctions. Gold, officially called Rarities, covers 10 percent of production.

The remaining coffee grades follow in order. Red, also known as Growers Reserve, accounts for 15 percent of estate production, while Green and Chaka fill out the lower tiers. Flavor tracks the grade: this year's Gold lot cupped with citrus, jasmine, honey, and tea notes, a level close to Panama Geisha, after earlier years performed nearer to Grade Yirgacheffe.

Geisha coffee produced in Ethiopia's Gesha Village has a flavor profile distinct from Panama Geisha, and boasts a strict grading system. This article will guide you through the characteristics and distinctions of Gesha Village's Auction, Gold, Red, Green, and Chaka lots. Through actual cupping and pour-over experiences, Front Street Coffee compares the flavor performance of different grades of Geisha and shares roasting and brewing recommendations. Whether you're looking for high-value everyday beans or are interested in top auction lots, this article will help you sort things out.

Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, is home to a producing region called Gesha Village, where a large number of Geisha varieties are cultivated. However, the Geisha produced here differs in flavor direction from Panama Geisha, each with its own strengths.

Similar to Panama Geisha, Gesha Village also has a strict grading system, classifying coffee into Auction, Gold, Red, Green, and Chaka lots. Next, Front Street will walk you through each of these grades.

Let's first discuss Gesha Village's grading in detail. In terms of product lines, they are divided into Auction lots, Gold lots, Red lots, Green lots, and Chaka lots. These "color labels" are actually Chinese nicknames derived from the background colors used in promotional materials.

Auction lots are the top-tier lots remaining after multiple rounds of selection at Gesha Village, accounting for only 3.7% of the village's total Geisha production, and can therefore only be obtained through global auctions.

The official name for Gold is "Rarities," meaning "precious treasures," representing the highest quality among Gesha Village's non-auction lots, accounting for 10% of the estate's total production. Front Street cups the Gold lot every year, and past performances have not been particularly stunning, with flavor levels roughly equivalent to Grade Yirgacheffe. But this year's Gold lot was a pleasant surprise.

During cupping, Front Street detected flavor characteristics of Panama Geisha, including citrus, jasmine, honey, and tea notes. Those familiar with Geisha will know that Panama Geisha and Gesha Village Geisha are not the same variety. Such a performance indicates that Gesha Village has put in considerable effort.

The official name for Red is "Growers Reserve," accounting for 15% of the estate's total production, with SCA cupping scores above 88. Red has the typical Gesha Village flavor profile, slightly lower in intensity and complexity than Gold, but with excellent value for money, making it suitable as an everyday single-origin.

The official name for Green is "Single-Terroir," meaning "single terroir." This series provides detailed traceability information, traceable to specific plots, coffee varieties, processing methods, and timing, making it a true single-origin coffee.

The Chaka lot focuses on accessibility, blending all plots and varieties from the entire estate together without emphasizing subdivision. It can be said to represent the baseline quality of Gesha Village estate.

Front Street has cupped each of these Ethiopian coffees separately. Each time, 11.3 grams of coffee beans are weighed, ground, and the dry fragrance is smelled first, then 94°C hot water is poured, the wet aroma is smelled within four minutes, followed by tasting with a cupping spoon.

Gesha Village Gold Geisha: Front Street detected intense fruit aromas when smelling the dry fragrance, and after pouring water, the wet aroma shifted to rich floral and berry notes. Upon actual tasting, it presented distinct citrus and creamy notes. The acidity was not as bright as Yirgacheffe, but rather softer, with prominent sweetness. Caramel and cream sweetness lingered, and the finish carried a fermented note.

When Front Street cupped the Gesha Village Red lot's Gori Geisha, tropical fruit, bergamot, and lemon notes were detected, accompanied by creamy sweetness and a hint of fermentation. As the temperature dropped slightly, jasmine notes gradually emerged, followed by impressions of toffee and almond.

Gesha Village Green Geisha: During cupping, Front Street smelled distinct berry sweetness, with a full and rich mouthfeel, featuring cherry, red berry, and honey flavors, with a fermented aroma lingering in the aftertaste.

After cupping, Front Street would brew the coffee as pour-over for a complete tasting. When roasting these coffees, considering the beans' relatively high moisture content, and to extend the dehydration time, Front Street ultimately used a medium-light roast. The Gesha Village Geisha offered for sale all use natural processing: first removing floating debris and impurities, then placing them on African-style raised drying beds in thin layers covered with plastic sheeting for sun-drying. During the drying process, they are sorted again to remove insect-damaged and underripe beans, with a total drying time of 18 to 30 days. Front Street believes that natural processing brings out distinct sweetness, soft acidity, and complex fruit notes, so the roast level was set to medium-light to highlight the floral and fruity sweetness characteristic of naturally processed Geisha.

When brewing these Gesha Village coffees, Front Street uses unified pour-over parameters: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 90°C water temperature, with an appropriate grind size. Before brewing, the filter paper is rinsed and the dripper and carafe are preheated. The first pour is 30 grams of water for blooming. After 30 seconds, the second pour begins, using a slow circular pour until reaching 125 grams, then stopping. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, the third pour begins, continuing the circular pour until reaching 225 grams, then stopping. When the water level drops again and is about to expose the coffee bed, the dripper is removed. Timing from the start of blooming, the total extraction time is 2 minutes. This three-stage pour-over method is the most commonly used brewing approach at Front Street Coffee.

Now you can taste these Gesha Village Geisha coffees.

After comparison, Front Street found that the Gold lot carries the intense jasmine notes characteristic of Ethiopian beans, with a mouthfeel resembling citrus juice, interspersed with peach and melon-like fruit flavors, and a honey sweetness at the finish.

The Red lot has a very balanced overall mouthfeel, with the biggest difference from Gold being more prominent nutty flavors.

The Green lot has a slight acidity, similar to Kenyan berry acidity, with a full and rich mouthfeel, and an aftertaste of honey sweetness and a faint fermented wine aroma.

The Chaka lot has a lighter fermented aroma, presenting overall citrus and grapefruit acidity that is relatively soft. Of course, the above is Front Street's relatively objective flavor description; coffee flavors vary from person to person.

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