How does the geisha coffee variety taste in Costa Rica?

The geisha coffee variety was discovered in 1931 in Ethiopia's Geisha forest, reached Costa Rica in 1953, and was later carried to Panama in 1963, where it became famous. At Mirazu Estate in Costa Rica's Tarrazú region, owner Esteban Sanches blends geisha with ET47, SL28, and Maico in equal parts and applies a raisin honey process to build sweetness.

The result shows jasmine floral notes, raisin sweetness, and a strawberry gummy-like flavor. The estate sits at 1,700 meters in Tarrazú. Geisha's low yields long discouraged planting until Panama's La Esmeralda separated the trees and entered a 2004 cupping competition, after which the variety won repeated championships and drew global attention.

Geisha coffee made Panama famous, but the starting point of this legendary journey actually lies in Costa Rica. This article focuses on Mirazu Estate in Costa Rica's Tarrazu region, analyzing the varietal composition, raisin honey process, and flavor profile of its Geisha blend. Estate owner Esteban Sanches, who comes from an academic background, blends four beans—Geisha, ET47, SL28, and Maico—in equal proportions, using the raisin honey process to enhance sweetness, ultimately presenting jasmine floral notes, raisin sweetness, and a strawberry gummy-like flavor. Front Street Coffee documents this bean's performance from roasting curve to cupping and brewing, guiding you through the unique charm of Costa Rican Geisha.

When Geisha coffee is mentioned, most people first think of Panama. However, the Geisha variety planted in Panama was originally introduced from neighboring Costa Rica. So what distinctive characteristics do the Geisha coffees from these two countries each present? Front Street Coffee will conduct a comparative analysis of Geisha coffee from these two producing regions.

Geisha was discovered in 1931 in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia, then sent to the coffee research institute in Kenya, introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, and brought to Costa Rica in 1953. In 1963, Don Pachi Serracin brought Geisha trees from Costa Rica to Panama. Because this variety has low yields, directly affecting harvest volume, farmers were not highly motivated to plant it.

It was not until Daniel Peterson, owner of Panama La Esmeralda, accidentally discovered that the coffee beans from the Geisha trees at the highest point of his estate—originally planted as a windbreak—carried the citrus and floral notes characteristic of African beans, that he separated them out and entered them in the 2004 Panama coffee cupping competition, achieving instant fame. Geisha beans have since been unstoppable, winning the Panama coffee cupping competition championship for many consecutive years. In the eyes of today's global specialty coffee enthusiasts, Geisha coffee beans are undoubtedly the supreme treasure. So how does Costa Rica, a stop on Geisha's road to fame, perform with its Geisha?

Front Street Coffee: Costa Rica Mirazu Estate Geisha Blend Region: Costa Rica Tarrazu Estate: Mirazu Estate Altitude: 1700m Varieties: Geisha, ET47, SL28, MAICO Process: Raisin Honey Process

Mirazu Estate is located in Costa Rica's specialty coffee Tarrazu region. The Tarrazu region lies in Central America's fertile volcanic zone, with a humid climate, nutrient-rich volcanic soil, abundant year-round rainfall, high altitude, and dense forests providing natural shade—creating superior natural conditions for coffee cultivation. Although many coffee estates are located within the Tarrazu region, the subtle characteristics of each estate—microclimates, soil, and varietal differences—are fully expressed. It is precisely these wonderful variations bestowed by nature that attract Front Street to continually seek out different coffees within the same region for comparison.

Estate owner Esteban Sanches graduated from the University of Costa Rica's Agricultural Sciences coffee department—truly academically trained—and he himself possesses a strong spirit of scientific experimentation. On one hand, the estate experiments with growing varieties such as ET47 Ethiopian heirloom and explores various processing methods; on the other hand, the small-scale wet processing equipment at the estate's processing station was designed and assembled entirely by Esteban Sanches himself.

Coffee Varieties Geisha, ET47, SL28, Maico

The Geisha variety is surely familiar to everyone. It was originally collected from Ethiopia's coffee forests in the 1930s, brought to the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Central America in 1953, where it was recorded as T2722. However, this plant's branches break easily and it was not favored by farmers, so it was not widely planted.

ET47 is one of many varieties introduced by the Costa Rica Coffee Institute in the 1990s, given to farmers in the Tarrazu region as a research tree for leaf rust resistance. ET47 was numbered 47 in the laboratory because the many varieties introduced during the same period were mostly distinguished and identified by numbers. After obtaining ET47, estate owner Esteban Sanches began devoting himself to studying this coffee variety. This variety can be described as a complex synthesis, carrying many excellent flavors—such as fruity sweetness, a round and clean mouthfeel, and elegant, pleasant acidity.

SL28 According to historical records, a senior coffee official at the Scott Laboratories (A.D. Trench) noticed that a variety growing in Tanzania's Modi region appeared tolerant to drought, disease, and pests. Seeds were collected and brought back to Scott Laboratories, where their drought resistance was confirmed. In recent years, genetic testing has also confirmed that SL28 belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, so SL28 coffee beans also resemble Bourbon varieties in appearance—round and plump.

Maico currently has no officially published variety information. The coffee beans introduced by Front Street Coffee consist of 50% Geisha coffee beans blended with 50% ET47, SL28, and MAICO. The Geisha variety provides jasmine aroma for this coffee, while the other varieties contribute richer strawberry berry flavors, and the raisin honey process further enhances the coffee's sweetness.

Processing Method The raisin honey process retains 100% mucilage and uses zero-water processing. This approach increases the difficulty of honey processing and requires strict control of timing. The estate owner first sorts the harvested coffee cherries, places the sorted cherries on raised beds to dry for at least three days, then removes the skin. Interestingly, the owner's self-developed depulper differs from other equipment in that it can process two different beans at once.

After removing the skin, the mucilage is retained and then dried. At this stage, climatic factors are key to successful honey processing. During drying, the coffee beans need to be turned constantly to ensure even drying, but the frequency of turning must be well controlled—slow drying allows the coffee to develop fermented processing effects, yet it cannot be too slow, lest over-fermentation occur. Through cupping, Front Street Coffee found that the raisin honey process, after retaining 100% mucilage for sun-drying, produces coffee with full-bodied sweetness and a fermented candied-fruit sweetness.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Analysis This Mirazu Estate Geisha blend consists of four bean varieties, combined with the raisin honey process. When observing the green beans, Front Street's roaster found that the fermentation level of the Geisha variety was noticeably lower than the other three beans. After roasting three batches with different curves, although the general flavors could be expressed, Front Street's roaster still felt it was not clear and bright enough. So after several fine adjustments—ensuring stable heat delivery in terms of firepower, using high heat during the development phase to concentrate thermal energy, and opening the damper wide at first crack—this bean's character was revealed.

Yangjia 800N, charge weight: 480g. Preheat to 200°C, drop to 175°C for charging, adjust firepower to 120, open damper to 3, turning point at 1'32", maintain firepower; at 114°C keep firepower unchanged, open damper to 4.

At 6'15" turning yellow, grassy notes disappear, entering the dehydration phase, at 140°C reduce firepower to 100, keep damper at 4. At 9'00" dehydration complete, bean surface shows wrinkles and dark streaks, toasty aroma turns to coffee fragrance—the prelude to first crack, so listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 10'25" first crack begins, open damper fully to 5, keep firepower unchanged. Development time after first crack is 1'30", drop at 193.5°C.

Front Street Coffee Cupping Report Front Street Coffee's cupping is conducted within 8-24 hours after the coffee beans are roasted, using a 200ml ceramic cupping bowl, an anti-static metal standard cupping spoon, with a cupping water temperature of 94°C. The grind size for cupping coffee is controlled so that the passing rate through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85mm) is 70%-75%. The ratio is 1:18.18 (11.1g coffee grounds plus 200ml hot water), so that the extracted concentration falls right within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%. First grind for dry aroma, then pour water to fill the bowl. Confirm wet aroma, after 4 minutes break the crust and skim, then proceed with flavor evaluation.

Dry aroma: floral Wet aroma: dried fruit, berry Flavor: raisin, berry, nut, cream

Front Street Coffee Brewing Recommendation Dripper: V60# 01 Dose: 15g Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15 Water temperature: 90°C Grind size: medium-fine (80% passing rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)

Front Street brewing method: First rinse the filter paper and preheat the dripper and coffee pot. Use 30g water for blooming for 30 seconds, pour in a slow circular stream until 125g for a staged pour, when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed continue pouring until 225g and stop, wait until the water level is about to expose the coffee bed then remove the dripper, (timing from start of blooming) extraction time is 2'01".

Brewed flavor: jasmine aroma, raisin sweetness on entry, strawberry gummy sweetness, nutty creamy mouthfeel.

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