How do Panama Geisha coffee grades differ in the cup?

Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama, the estate that discovered Geisha and brought it to the world, sorts its Geisha into three grades by cup performance and growing plot: Red Label, Green Label and Blue Label. The main flavor notes are similar across all three, but quality and price rise step by step from Blue to Red.

Blue Label is the basic version, Green Label the advanced one, and Red Label the top tier among Geisha. To explain the differences, coverage includes the background of Panama's coffee regions, how Geisha travelled from Africa to Panama, the estate's plot division and grading system, plus roasting curves, cupping notes and pour-over brewing suggestions for Panama geisha coffee beans.

Geisha coffee has attracted much attention in recent years, and Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama is both the discoverer of Geisha and the promoter who brought it to the world. Hacienda La Esmeralda classifies Geisha into three grades—Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label—according to cup performance and growing plots, with similar main notes but showing a tiered increase in quality and price. Front Street Coffee has listed these three Geisha coffees on its bean menu, hoping to let coffee lovers glimpse the flavor charm of different grades of Geisha. This article will introduce in detail the background of Panama's coffee-producing regions, the spread of Geisha from Africa to Panama, Hacienda La Esmeralda's plot division and grading system, and append Front Street's roasting curves, cupping flavors, and pour-over brewing suggestions, helping readers fully understand the mystery of Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha grades.

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The highly representative estate among Geisha coffees: Hacienda La Esmeralda, is both the discoverer of Geisha coffee beans and the promoter of Geisha coffee. From the Geisha categories they have launched, one can see their emphasis on Geisha and their guarantee of quality. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s bean menu includes these three different grades of Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee beans. Some customers ask, isn't Geisha just one flavor? Why list so many of the same type?

Every bean listed by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has been carefully considered and meticulously selected. Not only through steps such as origin information, roasting curve adjustment, cupping and brewing tasting, etc., has Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) fully understood the information of a coffee bean, but the most important reason for listing is whether the origin flavor of this bean is distinctive enough and whether it has outstanding points. Among these three Geisha coffees from Hacienda La Esmeralda, the main notes are indeed very similar, but it is more like a tiered progression: Blue Label is Hacienda La Esmeralda's basic version, Green Label is the advanced version, and Red Label is the top among Geisha. Therefore, their prices also increase step by step. So Front Street has listed all three Geisha coffees in the hope that coffee lovers can glimpse the flavor of Geisha.

Introduction to Panama Coffee

Panama borders the Caribbean Sea to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Costa Rica to the north, and Colombia to the south. It is an important isthmus connecting North and South America. Panama's premium coffee is grown in the western part of the country, that is, near Costa Rica and close to the Pacific Ocean. The microclimates of the highlands are the most important resource that makes Panama's distinctive coffee unique. Cold air currents flow through the central mountain range and converge above 6,500 feet, thereby creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete and Volc—Candela regions, making them the main producing areas of Panama's distinctive coffee. These distinctive coffees are cultivated in the nutrient-rich, balanced soil of the Baru Volcano region. The appropriate microclimate, soil, temperature, and altitude of these highlands are suitable for the sowing, growing, and harvesting of many distinctive coffees.

Geisha Coffee

Panama is where Geisha rose to fame, and biologists, through genetic comparison, have also confirmed that Ethiopia is the birthplace of Geisha. Therefore, we inevitably compare Panama Geisha with Ethiopian Geisha.

Front Street compared Panama Geisha and Ethiopian Geisha. Although both have excellent acidity and fragrant floral notes, in terms of specific flavor descriptions, they are clearly different. Panama Geisha has obvious jasmine floral notes, citrus (berries), rich honey-like sweetness, and is overall soft and comfortable. Ethiopian Geisha also has floral notes, but its main note is a very rich juicy feel (orange juice), full of Ethiopia's explosive fruit flavors.

Geisha became famous because of Panama. Before 2004, no one knew the name "Geisha." When Hacienda La Esmeralda first planted this variety, it did not distinguish varieties and mixed it with other coffee trees. Later, Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered that this variety had astonishingly excellent flavor, so it selected and processed it separately, won the BOP championship in 2004, and the name Geisha spread throughout the world. Therefore, Front Street regards the flavor of Panama Geisha as the authentic Geisha flavor.

How did Geisha "run" from Africa to Panama?

In 1931, botanists sampled and studied in the Kaffa forest of Ethiopia. This sampling was precisely to find excellent varieties among the disease-resistant species collected in the Kaffa forest when leaf rust broke out in 1860 (at that time, tree species were collected and then selected and screened in Kenya).

French biologist Jean-Pierre Labouisse later verified this clue and found that the coffee beans originally labeled Geisha Mountain actually came from different trees, meaning it was not simply one kind of Geisha coffee.

These seeds labeled Geisha were shipped in batches to Kenya in 1931 and 1932 for selection and sample investigation. In 1936, they were sent to Uganda and Tanzania. In 1953, Costa Rica's Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center introduced the Geisha experimental variety planted in Tanzania into the country and registered it under the number "T2722."

In the 1960s, Mr. Don Pachi of Panama's Don Pachi Estate introduced the Geisha variety from Costa Rica's Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center. The initial reason for introduction was to resist leaf rust, so Don Pachi also shared these varieties with other estates. It was not until 2004 that Geisha held its head high.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Plot Division Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in Panama's Boquete producing region, an important coffee-producing region in Panama. Many well-known coffee estates come from this region, such as Elida Estate and Kotowa Estate.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's division of Geisha plots is extremely fine, mainly including three plots: Jaramillo, Caas Verdes, and El Velo. Each plot is further finely divided into small plots. High-quality Geisha mainly comes from the two plots Jaramillo and Caas Verdes. Jaramillo has annual rainfall of 4,000 ml, average daytime temperature of 19-25°C, average nighttime temperature of 11-15°C, and average altitude of 1,600-1,700 m.

Caas Verdes has annual rainfall of 3,500 ml, average daytime temperature of 16-23°C, average nighttime temperature of 10-15°C, and average altitude of 1,600-1,800 m.

El Velo is the newest plot purchased by Hacienda La Esmeralda, with an average altitude of 1,700-1,900 m. In addition to planting Geisha and Catuai, this plot also has a small number of other exotic varieties, such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mokka, and SL28.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Grading Hacienda La Esmeralda's marketing strategy differs from other estates. According to cup performance, planted varieties, and planting plots, it is divided into five major brands. There are three brands of the Geisha variety: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. There are two brands of the Catuai variety: Diamond Mountain grows and Palmyra.

First, everyone needs to understand one point: what we call Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label—these "labels"—are only Chinese common names (nicknames for easy remembering). In fact, they all have more fashionable names. Take our most accessible Blue Label as an example. Its original name is "Geisha 1500," and because its logo has a blue background, it is simply called Blue Label. Blue Label is defined as Geisha coffee at around 1,500 meters altitude blended from Hacienda La Esmeralda's three sub-estates/regions (Jaramillo, Caas Verdes, and El Velo).

However, in the 2021 harvest season, Hacienda La Esmeralda officially announced that it would no longer launch the Blue Label series. We also saw on Hacienda La Esmeralda's official website that the product introduction has already removed Blue Label, leaving only Red Label and Green Label in the Geisha category.

However, according to Front Street's understanding, the 2021-produced 1,500-meter Geisha (that is, the former Blue Label) was sold in the entire batch to a green bean company, and this company launched a brand called "Las Rocas." Front Street also confirmed from the green bean appearance and cupping that it has the taste of Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha.

So, will the auction lot among Red Label definitely taste better than non-auction lots? If you are familiar with agricultural products, you know this cannot be guaranteed. The only thing that can be guaranteed is that the auction lot will definitely be more expensive than non-auction lots.

. In fact, Hacienda La Esmeralda has also realized that such classification indeed makes it very difficult for people to understand the ins and outs, and Hacienda La Esmeralda has also revealed that it will make a clearer distinction.

It roughly says that next year the auctioned beans will be renamed "Esmeralda Auction," which is believed to be elegantly translated as "Emerald Auction." This "next year" is probably this year, 2022.

Roasting Suggestions Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) roasts these three different grades of Panama Geisha coffee beans. The main idea is still to highlight Geisha's rich floral aroma and bright, varied fruit acidity, using a light roasting approach. However, Front Street considers that each grade has a different growing environment, so corresponding adjustments must also be made in roasting details.

Red Label Geisha

Charge at 150°C, heat power 120, airflow opened to 3; turning point at 1'36'', when the temperature reaches 140°C open airflow to 4, heat power unchanged; when the temperature reaches 147.6°C the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and it enters the dehydration stage; when the temperature reaches 150°C, adjust heat power to 100, airflow unchanged;

At 7'38", ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly to the sound of the first crack point. At 8'10" first crack begins, open airflow to 4, develop for 1'28 after first crack, and drop at 189.5°C.

Green Label Geisha

Charge at 160°C, heat power 110, airflow opened to 3; turning point at 1'28", when the temperature reaches 140°C open airflow to 3.5, heat power unchanged; when the temperature reaches 153.3°C the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and it enters the dehydration stage; when the temperature reaches 161°C, adjust heat power to 90, airflow unchanged;

At 6'54", ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen clearly to the sound of the first crack point. At 7'50" first crack begins, open airflow to 4, develop for 1'20 after first crack, and drop at 192.5°C.

Blue Label Geisha

Charge temperature 180°C, turning yellow point 5'20", 151.6°C, first crack point 8'30", 181.8°C, develop 1 minute 28 after first crack, discharge at 190°C.

Cupping Flavor

Red Label Geisha

Dry aroma: jasmine, citrus

Wet aroma: citrus, lemon, honey

Palate: lemon, honey, berries, orange peel, mango, cream, citrus, tea-like

Green Label Geisha

Dry aroma: jasmine, ginger flower

Wet aroma: lemon, sweet orange

Palate: lemon, sweet orange, honey, cream, almond, tea-like

Blue Label Geisha

Dry aroma: floral, citrus

Wet aroma: citrus, lemon

Palate: citrus, lemon, honey, nuts, tea-like

Brewing Suggestions

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) recommends using these brewing parameters: Hario V60 dripper, 90°C water temperature, 15 g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, fine granulated sugar grind size (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve).

It is recommended to use freshly roasted coffee beans, as the flavor will be richer. The coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all within 5 days of roasting, because Front Street deeply understands that the freshness of coffee beans has a great impact on flavor. Front Street's roasting principle is "freshly roasted good coffee," so that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when they receive it. The resting period for coffee is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor.

Front Street considers that these Panama Geisha coffee beans are all light-roasted. Light-roasted beans have a lower extraction rate of coffee substances than dark-roasted beans. Therefore, in order to ensure that the Geisha flavor can be fully extracted, a higher water temperature is used for brewing, and a finer grind size is also chosen. So regarding grinding, Front Street determines it through sieving. Based on the grinding suggestions provided by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) for pour-over coffee, and combined with actual operation verification, Front Street uses different grind sizes for brewing, and the resulting cups all show obvious differences. Moreover, the grind size for each coffee bean will differ. This is the significance of sieving. If there is no 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.

Brewing Technique

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses staged extraction, also called three-stage brewing. Use 30 g of water for a 30-second bloom, pour in a small stream in circles until 125 g for the first stage, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) The extraction time is 2'00".

Geisha Coffee Taste and Flavor Description

Red Label: bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruit, honey, a thick juicy feel, rich flavor layers, and obvious sweetness.

Green Label: rich jasmine floral aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juicy feel, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, overall rich flavor layers, with a long-lasting floral and citrus finish.

Volcanic Rock New Blue Label: floral aroma, with a soft acidity of lemon and grapefruit on the palate, honey sweetness in the middle, oolong tea tea-like note and brown sugar sweetness in the tail, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

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