What makes Panamanian geisha coffee from 90+ stand out?

Panamanian geisha coffee is widely treated as the benchmark of the variety, and 90+ Eleta is one of the names that draws the most questions. 90+, short for Ninety Plus, is not a single estate but a company founded in 2006 by Joseph Brodsky. Its coffees come from Panama's Volcán region, where terroir and careful processing shape the cup.

The 90+ story starts with the 2004 competition win by Hacienda La Esmeralda, which pushed geisha into the spotlight. Brodsky first searched Panama, then moved to Ethiopia in 2006 to work on cultivation and processing. The geisha green coffee sold under 90+, such as Juliette and Eleta, reflects that Profile Processing approach and its fruit-forward profile.

Geisha is currently one of the most sought-after coffee varieties in the coffee world, and the Geisha produced in Panama is the benchmark among them. On Front Street Coffee's bean list, there is a rich selection of Panamanian Geisha, among which 90+ Eleta Geisha stands out. Many people wonder: Is 90+ actually an estate? Where in Panama is it located? And what makes this Geisha so unique? This article will explore the origins of the 90+ company, the terroir conditions of the Volcán producing region, the Profile Processing system, and the flavor profiles of the two Geisha coffees currently sold by Front Street—Juliette and Eleta—to give you a comprehensive understanding of the story behind 90+ Eleta Geisha.

When it comes to today's most popular coffee varieties, Geisha is certainly among the top, and the Geisha produced in Panama is the cream of the crop. For this reason, Front Street Coffee's bean list includes several Panamanian Geisha coffees, among which 90+ Eleta Geisha is particularly eye-catching. Many customers are curious: Is 90+ really an estate? Where in Panama is it located? And what makes its Geisha so unique?

In fact, the full name of 90+ is Ninety Plus. It is not an estate, but an American company founded in 2006 by Joseph Brodsky.

In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda brought Geisha to the Panama BOP competition and won first place with its floral and citrus notes. The Geisha variety rose to fame overnight and attracted the attention of many industry insiders, including 90+ founder Joseph Brodsky.

Joseph then traveled to Panama, hoping to find coffee varieties that could rival Geisha, but he did not succeed. Undeterred, he turned to Ethiopia instead, where there were more undiscovered variety resources.

In 2006, Joseph settled in Ethiopia and devoted himself full-time to local coffee cultivation while also researching coffee processing techniques. With limited funds in the early days of his venture, he did not have his own farm and could only purchase high-quality coffee cherries picked by others, then process them meticulously before exporting. With extremely rich fruit flavors and outstanding quality, Joseph's coffee gradually attracted industry attention and drew some international competition participants, and the 90+ company slowly built its reputation.

However, Joseph still had not found a bean variety whose quality could match Geisha, so he decided to grow Geisha himself and use his unique processing methods to create top-tier Geisha. In 2009, Joseph returned to Panama and acquired about 200 hectares in Volcán-Candela to establish Ninety Plus Gesha Estate, where he began growing coffee, mainly cultivating varieties he had brought back from Ethiopia as well as Panamanian Geisha, officially producing coffee beans in 2014. After that, the 90+ company bought a plot of land on the western side of Barú Volcano in 2019 and established Ninety Plus Barú Estates, but this estate has not yet officially produced coffee beans.

The Volcán-Candela area where Ninety Plus Gesha Estate is located is one of Panama's main coffee-producing regions. Although it is less well-known than Boquete, it is equally rich in natural resources. The Volcán producing region is located on the eastern side of Barú Volcano, with coffee cultivation at altitudes between 1,200 and 1,800 meters. The soil is fertile volcanic soil, and sunlight is quite abundant. However, because the mountains to the north form a barrier, moisture from the Atlantic is difficult to reach, making the region's climate relatively dry.

The 90+ company established a system called Profile Processing to supervise the entire process—from variety and cultivation to harvesting and processing methods—and to tailor a processing plan for each coffee. In addition, the company set up the Ninety Plus Sensory Room (NP Sensory Lab) and the Solar Kiln lab to explore research directions different from conventional green bean processing methods.

Currently, Front Street has two 90+ series coffees from this estate on sale: Juliette Geisha and Eleta Geisha. Both use 90+ processing methods, but the 90+ company has not disclosed the specific processing details. Based on cupping, they are presumed to fall under anaerobic natural processing.

After brewing Eleta Geisha, aromas of longan and dried fruit can be detected. On the palate, it presents flavors of bergamot, sweet orange, grape, and pineapple, with a sweetness reminiscent of apple juice, a rich layered mouthfeel, and a long finish.

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