The Geisha variety originated from the Geisha Mountains in southwestern Ethiopia, and later spread through Kenya, Tanzania, and Costa Rica before reaching Panama, where it rose to fame at Hacienda La Esmeralda. Colombia's Hope Farm introduced this variety from Panama in 2007, and after years of trial cultivation, it finally won the championship at the Specialty Coffee Association of America's annual green coffee competition in 2011. This article will present a complete cupping process of Colombian Geisha, from roasting comparison to cupping steps, and finally to the flavor summary, taking you deep into the unique charm of this top variety in the Colombian producing region, while also explaining the complete SCAA standard cupping procedure in detail.
Geisha belongs to the Arabica species and was first discovered in the Geisha Mountains of southwestern Ethiopia. The author prefers to use the transliterated name "Geisha" to refer to it, because the pronunciation of "geisha" in Japanese is similar to Geisha, so the Japanese industry habitually calls it "geisha" coffee. However, from the perspective of international communication, using the transliteration "Geisha" is more appropriate and also more conducive to communication.
According to records on the official website of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, the seeds of Geisha coffee were collected from the Geisha Mountains in southwestern Ethiopia in 1931, then transplanted to Kenya between 1931 and 1932, transferred to Tanzania in 1936, and introduced to Costa Rica in 1953. As for when it was brought to Panama's Jaramillo estate, there is currently no clear record. What can be confirmed is that after the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda purchased the Jaramillo estate in 1996, they noticed that the coffee produced in the marginal areas of the estate had a rather unique flavor, so they registered for the 2004 Panama "Best of Panama" (COE) competition, and the result was astonishing; thereafter, it won awards almost every year. Later, through variety identification, it was confirmed that its source was indeed the Geisha Mountains of Ethiopia, so it was officially named "Geisha" coffee. Panamanian Geisha coffee once fetched a high price of nearly 290 US dollars per kilogram.
The Herrera family of Colombia's "Hope Farm" introduced the Geisha variety from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2007. Although initial trial cultivation was not smooth, after years of continuous effort, it finally took first place in April 2011 at the "Specialty Coffee Association of America Coffee of the Year" competition (COTY - Coffees of the Year) held in Houston. For details, please refer to the relevant report on the Specialty Coffee Association of America's 2011 Global Best Green Coffee Competition.
David Piza C graduated from the University of Los Angeles Bogota Campus with a degree in Industrial Engineering, and is also a professional coffee cupper in Colombia and a judge for barista competitions. In August of this year, he came to China, and among the several high-quality estate specialty coffees he brought with him was Colombian Geisha. Based on the green bean information provided by David Piza C and combined with his own preset roasting curve, the author roasted this coffee. What surprised everyone present was that, compared with the sample brought by David Piza C, the Geisha roasted by the author was almost indistinguishable to the naked eye (before the author roasted it, David Piza C had not shown the samples they had repeatedly adjusted in Colombia).
Colombian "Geisha" coffee:
On the third day after roasting was completed, the author, David Piza C, and two other friends conducted a cupping of Colombian Geisha coffee together in Wangjing, Beijing. A total of three coffees participated in the cupping: one was the Geisha sample roasted by David Piza C in Colombia, and the other two were Colombian Geisha from two different processing batches roasted by the author in Beijing. Three cups were brewed for each coffee, while the SCAA standard requires five cups.
Ground into coffee particles:
Smelling the aroma after breaking the crust:
Skimming off the floating grounds:
Beginning to taste:
Recording at any time:
Combining the records of the four cuppers, the final conclusion was: the one that took first place was the Geisha roasted by the author in Beijing from the same batch as the Colombian roasted sample.
Colombian Geisha coffee extracted by pour-over after the cupping ended:
The characteristics of Colombian Geisha coffee are: lively, bright, and varied acidity, prominent and rich floral and fruit aromas, medium body, an overall balanced and smooth mouthfeel, and a long finish with sweetness.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
