What does the origin of mocha coffee tell us about coffee naming?

The Panama BOP, founded in 1996, was the first green bean competition and helped push specialty coffee forward; Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha rose to fame in 2004. The estate grades Geisha into Red, Green, and Blue Label tiers by altitude and plot, and the first BOP auction in 2004 drew 11 lots at an average of $2.89 per pound.

The origin of mocha coffee is a separate naming story: mocha refers to the Yemeni port of Al Mokha, which historically shipped coffee from Yemen and gave its name to the drink and to Mocha Java blends. Where mocha coffee comes from today varies, since modern mocha drinks are usually espresso with chocolate rather than single-origin Yemeni beans.

The Panama BOP (Best of Panama) is the world's first green bean competition. Since its founding in 1996, it has profoundly driven the development of specialty coffee, and Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha shot to fame in 2004. Hacienda La Esmeralda finely grades Geisha according to altitude and plot, forming a three-tier system of Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label. This article will systematically sort out the origins of the BOP competition and auction, the history and plot divisions of Hacienda La Esmeralda, explain in detail the definitional differences between Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label, and attach Front Street Coffee's brewing parameter suggestions and flavor descriptions, providing coffee lovers with a complete Geisha knowledge guide.

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

BOP is the world's first green bean competition. This competition aims to conduct sensory scoring by blind tasting after classifying specialty coffee grown in Panama by category. Front Street believes that BOP played a key role in Panama's coffee transition toward specialty cultivation. BOP stands for "Best of Panama," which can be translated into Chinese as "Panama's Best Product." In essence, BOP is a platform that provides professional services to Panama's high-quality coffee growers. The event is planned and organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP), a non-profit association of coffee growers and processors in Panama that uses technological innovation and blind tasting to discover and verify the best quality of Panamanian coffee.

What is the BOP auction? In 1995, seven members of Panamanian coffee-producing families jointly established the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP); in 1996, the association founded the first Panama green bean competition—Best of Panama (BOP). Starting in 2004, SCAP organized the first BOP Best of Panama auction, when only 11 lots of beans participated, with an average transaction price of $2.89 per pound; by 2012, this figure had climbed to $24.83, greatly encouraging and promoting the advancement of specialty coffee. The renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda, Don Pachi Estate, Carmen Estate, and Elida Estate are all founding estates.

The emergence of BOP can be seen as a gamble by Panama's specialty coffee industry against the coffee market at the time, and it successfully opened up a blue ocean for Panama based on quality, with local auction beans fetching hundreds of dollars each year.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Introduction to Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda

Geisha coffee beans After participating in the Panama green bean competition BOP in 2004 and winning the championship, Geisha performed astonishingly all the way, and later expert identification confirmed that the coffee beans belonged to the Ethiopian Geisha variety. Afterward, the Peterson family devoted most of its energy to infrastructure development to support outstanding lot separation and fine processing.

In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired and moved to Panama, buying Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical career to help his father run the farm, and in 1987 introduced the Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties, and in 1994 established a washed processing plant, from then on owning their own coffee processing facility.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that Hacienda La Esmeralda's acquisition at the time of estates with excellent output and high altitude was a uniquely distinctive decision, which also allowed Hacienda La Esmeralda to establish a firm foothold in the coffee industry. Among them, the Jaramillo estate was precisely the estate where the Geisha variety was planted. Because of its scarce yield, the previous owner used it only as a windbreak tree, and only after the acquisition was its extraordinary flavor discovered. This is precisely the charm of Geisha coffee—the harsher the growing environment, the more outstanding the flavor performance.

Although Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered coffee beans with flavor expression from the very beginning, for the sake of precision, it cupped different areas within the estate one by one and determined planting plots according to altitude. Thus came the Geisha grades we know today—Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label—all graded by altitude. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will explain them in detail below.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)— Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Red Label Coffee Beans Region: Boquete Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda Canas Verdes

Altitude: 1600~1800m Variety: Geisha Processing method: Natural

[Panama Coffee Regions]

Panama is located at the southernmost part of Central America, bordering the Caribbean Sea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Costa Rica to the north, and Colombia to the south, and is an important isthmus connecting North and South America. Influenced by this geographical location, Panama has complex and variable microclimates, which also create Panama coffee with unique flavors. Generally speaking, Panamanian coffee beans are plump, relatively light in weight, with soft acidity and balanced flavor.

Panama can be roughly divided into four regions: Boquete, Volcan, Santa Clara, Piedra de Candela.

Boquete: Altitude 1450 meters. This region has the largest coffee production and the best quality in Panama, such as Hacienda La Esmeralda, Kotowa Estate, and Elida Estate.

Volcan: Altitude 2000-3000 meters. Coffee from this region is characterized by a mild and balanced flavor and is gradually gaining attention from international experts and coffee lovers. The famous Baru Volcano coffee comes from this region.

Santa Clara: Altitude 1500 meters. Because this region is irrigated and nourished by the Chorerra Falls and is adjacent to the Panama Canal, coffee from all over Panama can be conveniently shipped to all parts of the world.

[Representative Estate of the Boquete Region: Hacienda La Esmeralda]

In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired and moved to Panama, buying Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical career to help his father run the farm, and in 1987 introduced the Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties, and in 1994 established a washed processing plant, from then on owning their own coffee processing facility. In 1996, they bought the nearby Jaramillo estate, which had a superior geographical environment and outstanding flavor in its original coffee varieties, and merged it into Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Jaramillo was favored by the Petersons precisely because the coffee beans originally planted there had a pleasant orange aroma and floral-fruity notes, different from the original taste of Panamanian coffee. After cupping coffee beans from different areas within the estate, it was discovered that an unknown coffee tree growing at the highest point of the estate, because of its low yield, had not been valued by the previous owner, but was discovered by the Petersons, who decided to plant and cultivate the coffee trees in that area separately. After participating in the Panama green bean competition BOP in 2004 and winning the championship, Geisha performed astonishingly all the way, and later expert identification confirmed that the coffee beans were the Ethiopian Geisha variety. Afterward, the Peterson family put most of its energy into developing infrastructure to support outstanding lot separation and fine processing.

[Plot Divisions of the Geisha Variety at Hacienda La Esmeralda]

Hacienda La Esmeralda divides the plots where Geisha is planted extremely finely, with three main plots: Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo. Each plot is further finely divided into smaller plots.

Jaramillo has annual rainfall of 4000ml, average daytime temperature of 19-25°C, average nighttime temperature of 11-15°C, and average altitude of 1600-1700m. The Jaramillo plot is subdivided into 5 small plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, and Buenos Aires.

Canas Verdes has annual rainfall of 3500ml, average daytime temperature of 16-23°C, average nighttime temperature of 10-15°C, and average altitude of 1600-1800m. Canas Verdes includes 9 small plots in total: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Chinta, Cabaña, and Tumaco.

El Velo is the most recently purchased plot of Hacienda La Esmeralda, with an average altitude of 1700-1900m. In addition to planting Geisha and Catuai, this plot also has a small number of other exotic varieties, such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28. El Velo is divided into 7 small plots in total, namely: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Mural, (Fig), Buena Vista, and Águila.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label, Green Label Coffee Bean Introduction

[Red Label Geisha] Esmeralda Special Esmeralda Special is what we commonly call "Red Label." The planting altitude of Red Label lots of Geisha is 1600-1800 meters, with a cupping score above 90, mainly produced from the two regions of Jaramillo and Canas Verdes. Red Label lots have washed or natural processing methods. Red Label lots can only be obtained through global auctions. Selected from Geisha beans planted at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters, with a cupping score above 90, produced from the two regions of Jaramillo and Canas Verdes ( Canas Verdes ).

In the independent auction held by Hacienda La Esmeralda itself, only the Geisha lots put up for auction from the divided plots are auction Red Label. Guests often ask whether auction Red Label tastes better or Red Label tastes better. In fact, non-auction Red Label and auction Red Label belong to the same plot; the only difference is whether they participate in the auction. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes there is no need to insist on drinking auction-level beans: first, the price is indeed higher; second, if you just want to try it, Red Label is also a good choice.

Geisha of this grade uses natural or washed processing methods, and the flavor has a special, bright floral aroma and citrus notes.

[Green Label Geisha] Private Collection Private Collection is commonly called Green Label. It is a lot that does not participate in the independent competition—a variety that is planted with Geisha but does not participate in the auction, yet still has excellent quality. Selected from micro-lots blended from beans planted at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters, produced from different plots such as Jaramillo (Jaramillo), Canas Verdes ( Canas Verdes ). Commonly called Green Label, Green Label lots do not participate in the auction but still have excellent quality. Green Label Geisha is planted at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters, mainly a blend of lots produced from different plots such as Jaramillo and Canas Verdes.

Because it adopts a model of blending different plots, there are sometimes cases where Green Label and Red Label have a very high flavor similarity. Although Green Label is not as high-grade as Red Label, it still carries the classic flavor of Geisha: floral aroma, fruity aroma, citrus acidity, and a thick, juicy mouthfeel. Green Label Geisha also has washed or natural processing. People often ask what the difference is between Red Label and Green Label. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) gives the most easily understood answer: Red Label can be traced back to a specific small plot, while Green Label is blended beans and cannot be traced. Because it adopts a blended-bean model without detailed plot annotations, there are sometimes cases where Green Label and Red Label have a very high flavor similarity, but the next release may differ again. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) feels that drinking Green Label is like buying a lottery ticket—perhaps the lot you drink this time tastes just like Red Label.

Although Green Label is not as high-grade as Red Label, it still carries the classic flavor of Geisha: floral aroma, fruity aroma, citrus acidity, and a thick, juicy mouthfeel. Green Label Geisha also has washed or natural processing.

[Blue Label Geisha]

The brand Geisha 1500 is what we commonly know as Blue Label Geisha. Selected from blended beans planted at an altitude of 1400-1500 meters, produced from three different plots: Jaramillo, Canas Verdes ( Canas Verdes ), and El Velo. The flavor has slight floral aroma, fruity acidity, and sweetness, with a less thick mouthfeel. Blue Label Geisha only has washed processing . During 2019-2022, the Blue Label lots of Geisha (Geisha 1500) were discontinued by Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label, Green Label Coffee Bean Brewing Parameters

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends the following brewing parameters: Hario V60 dripper, 91°C water temperature, 15g dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size EK43s setting 10 (80% passing rate on Chinese standard No. 20 sieve).

Front Street takes into consideration that these Geisha beans are all light roasts. The dissolution rate of coffee substances in light-roasted beans is lower than in dark roasts. Therefore, to ensure full extraction of the Geisha flavor, a higher water temperature was used for brewing, and a finer grind size was also chosen.

Regarding grind size, Front Street determines it through sieving. Based on the grind recommendations provided by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCA) for pour-over coffee, Front Street then verifies through actual operation that using different grind sizes for brewing produces noticeably different results, and the grind size for each coffee bean will differ. This is the meaning of sieving. If you do not have a sieve at home, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) suggests judging by observing the flow rate: if the flow is too fast, the grind is coarse; if the flow is too slow, the grind is fine.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) adopts staged extraction, also called three-stage brewing: use 30g of water for blooming for 30 seconds, pour in a small stream in circles until 125g for the stage break, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225g and stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming.) The extraction time is 2'00".

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label, Green Label, Blue Label Coffee Bean Flavor Description

[Red Label] Has bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruits, honey, a thick juicy mouthfeel, rich flavor layers, and obvious sweetness.

[Green Label] Rich jasmine aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juiciness, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, with overall rich flavor layers and a lingering finish of floral and citrus notes.

[Blue Label] Floral aroma, with a soft acidity of lemon and grapefruit on the palate, honey sweetness in the middle, and oolong tea tea-like notes and brown sugar sweetness in the finish, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

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