How Does Geisha Coffee From Panama's Elida Estate Taste?
Elida Estate sits in Panama's Boquete region at roughly 1,850 to 1,900 meters and has produced coffee for over a century. A Geisha from the estate took first place in the Geisha processing category at the BOP competition, and geisha coffee from Panama's Elida plot is prized for its layered cup and high-grown density.
Front Street compared Elida Geisha against Elida Typica from the same estate. The Geisha was processed by anaerobic fermentation with low-temperature slow sun-drying, while Typica was sun-dried, and the differing coffee bean process gave Elida Geisha more layering than a comparably grown Panama Geisha from another estate.
Amid the high-altitude mist of Panama's Boquete region, Elida Estate has earned its place in the pantheon of specialty coffee through a century of heritage and outstanding quality. This article takes you deep into the estate's history, terroir, and cultivated varieties, and from the tasting perspective of Front Street Coffee, compares the flavor differences between Elida Geisha and Typica. From the champion anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-dried processing method, to the refined roasting curve and brewing parameters, to the rich layers presented in cupping, we explore together the secrets behind Elida coffee's high regard.
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Panama's Elida Estate has a history of over a century and produces coffee of exceptional quality. Last year, a Geisha from this estate took first place in the Geisha processing category at the BOP competition, and Front Street Coffee selected Elida Geisha from the same plot and same altitude for tasting. When it comes to Geisha, one cannot avoid another renowned Panama estate—Hacienda La Esmeralda. After comparing these two Geishas from different estates side by side, Front Street Coffee found that due to different processing methods chosen, Elida Geisha has a richer layering than Panama Geisha. Front Street Coffee also conducted a comparative tasting between Geisha and Typica from Elida Estate, exploring the differences between varieties within the same estate.
Panama — Elida Estate Geisha
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1900 meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing: Anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-dried
Panama — Elida Estate Typica
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1850 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing: Sun-dried
Boquete Region
Elida Estate is located in Panama's famously prestigious specialty coffee region—Boquete. Boquete is a town under Chiriqui Province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, adjacent to the famous Baru Volcano. It boasts beautiful scenery, deep and fertile soil, and climate and soil conditions highly suitable for cultivating quality coffee. The microclimate of the Boquete highlands is an irreplaceable core resource for local specialty coffee. Panama's east-to-west geographical layout causes cold air to flow through the central mountain range and converge above 6500 feet, creating diverse microclimates around Boquete, where temperature and rainfall are both highly favorable for plant growth.
Elida Estate
Elida Estate covers 65 hectares, more than half of which lies within Baru Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares are used for growing coffee trees, while the remainder retains its primeval forest state. Coffee cultivation ranges from 1670 meters to 1850 meters in altitude, making it one of Panama's two highest-altitude coffee estates (the other estate with equal altitude is Carmen Estate in the Volcan Valley).
In a high-altitude environment, low temperatures delay the ripening of coffee cherries by about a month compared to normal. The fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, and combined with the excellent microclimate brought by Baru Volcano, Elida Estate is able to achieve repeated success in cupping competitions.
The history of Elida Estate can be traced back to 1918, owned by the Lamastus family. The estate name "Elida" comes from the name of the wife of the estate owner at the time, Robert Louis Lamastus.
Coffee Bean Varieties
Elida Estate mainly cultivates three coffee varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountain, so coffee cherries can be transported to the factory for processing immediately after picking, ensuring the quality of the coffee fruit is not affected. Elida Estate's environment is also suitable for growing other quality temperate crops, especially tree tomatoes and some uncommon high-altitude fruits. Speaking of this, Front Street Coffee often encounters people asking: if coffee is grown together with other crops, will the flavor take on the aroma of those crops? For example, Elida Estate grows tree tomatoes and other fruits, and when Front Street Coffee tastes Elida coffee, it indeed perceives rich and full fruit flavors. But Front Street Coffee reminds us not to be misled by this coincidence. Overall, the formation of coffee flavor is determined jointly by variety, altitude, processing method, and roasting—none can be absent. This is also the basis for judging specialty coffee today, and it is the philosophy that Front Street Coffee has always conveyed—understanding coffee cannot rely only on surface appearances.
In addition to the exceptional ultra-high altitude and microclimate, estate owner Mr. Wilford has also poured great effort into harvesting and processing. To achieve the highest standards, Elida Estate only allows hand-picking of the most ripe coffee cherries (Ripe on Pinton). The high ripeness of the fruit naturally means high sugar content in the pectin, which is the foundation of Elida's quality flavor. Mr. Wilford is not only extremely strict about coffee cultivation and processing, but also more rigorous than his peers in the "purification" step after green bean processing.
Catuai
Catuai originates from the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil, and is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra. Due to its short stature, it can be planted closely together in mass cultivation, with a planting density almost twice that of Bourbon coffee, resulting in yields far higher than Bourbon. Additionally, although its resistance to pests and diseases is not strong, the advantage of its plant morphology makes manual pest and disease control relatively easy. Besides higher yield, Catuai cherries do not easily fall off when ripe and have strong resistance to wind and rain, making it favored in windy and rainy regions.
Front Street Coffee conducted a cupping evaluation of Elida Estate Catuai. The coffee carries fermented wine aroma and rose floral notes, with berry, citrus, and green tea flavors on the palate, and a finish of cream, nuts, and sucrose sweetness, overall balanced.
Typica
Typica is the oldest native variety from Ethiopia, with bronze-colored top leaves and oval or slender pointed beans. Typica has an elegant flavor but is physically weak, with poor disease resistance and low yield. Well-known varieties such as Mandheling, Blue Mountain, Maragogype, Yunnan small round beans, and Geisha are all derivatives of Typica.
Geisha
Geisha was discovered in 1931 in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia, then sent to the Kenya Coffee Research Institute. In 1936 it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, in 1953 to Costa Rica, and afterward entered Panama along the southern route. Panama's Esmeralda Estate separated it from other varieties and won the national coffee competition championship, which is when Geisha officially entered the public eye. Geisha coffee is extremely demanding about its growing environment, requiring high altitude, cloud cover for shade, fertile soil, and sufficient accumulated heat. Geisha beans are slender and pointed, making them relatively easy to identify.
When mentioning the Geisha variety, one cannot avoid the Geisha coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha is one of the top-tier estates in the specialty coffee world, known to everyone in the coffee industry. Front Street Coffee believes that whether as the discoverer and promoter of Geisha flavor, or through repeatedly breaking auction records, these achievements have created Hacienda La Esmeralda's current status.
Front Street Coffee — 2020 New Crop Panama Blue Label Geisha
Region: Boquete
Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Altitude: 1500m
Variety: Geisha
Processing: Washed
Flavor: Light jasmine and citrus aroma, with distinct citrus and smoked plum on the palate, fresh and bright acidity, nuts in the mid-palate, and a honey-sweet finish with lasting sweetness.
Coffee Bean Processing Methods
Sun-Dried Processing
The sun-dried method reduces the moisture content of coffee through a certain period of drying. Sun-drying is the oldest of all coffee processing methods, passed down since coffee entered mass production. To this day, a considerable portion of the world's coffee production still uses the sun-dried method. However, Elida Estate has made meticulous adjustments on the basis of sun-drying: after green bean processing, the beans must undergo more than 5 months of low-temperature Resting to remove greenness, which allows the coffee flavor to develop more evenly and fully. Low-temperature Resting is a green bean purification concept promoted by coffee master George Howell starting in 2006. Different processing methods and altitudes will change the low-temperature Resting time. For Elida Estate, 5 months of low-temperature Resting is optimal.
Anaerobic Fermentation Low-Temperature Slow Sun-Dried
Elida Estate, long known for its expertise in traditional sun-dried processing, after years of experimentation finally mastered the craft of this NATURAL-ASD (anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-dried) processing method last year, and with Geisha processed this way won first place in last year's BOP Geisha processing category. The picked coffee cherries are placed in sealed containers to ferment for 4-5 days, then spread thickly on drying beds to dry slowly. By regulating the "drying rate" to create the activity level of specific types of microorganisms, thereby regulating the type and degree of fermentation to a certain extent—this is the specialty of current estate owner Wilford Jr.
The low-temperature slow sun-dried processing method requires producers to invest more time and effort. Under the nurturing of time, slow drying allows coffee cherries to develop optimal water activity during the process—firstly, flavor development is excellent; secondly, green beans can be maintained longer during seasonal storage cycles. But at the same time, this method not only depends on the weather and requires climatic cooperation, but also extends the time required for each batch of production, increasing the cost of green beans.
Green Bean Analysis
Elida Estate Geisha
This bean's variety is Geisha. The green beans appear yellow-green, with aromas of pear, orange, and a light fermented note.
Green Tip Geisha and Bronze Tip Geisha varieties: Green Tip Geisha is characterized by floral aroma, strong acidity, and sweetness. In contrast, Bronze Tip Geisha is dominated by body and sweetness, with less pronounced acidity.
Elida Estate Typica
Typica is one of the oldest Arabica coffee varieties discovered to date, the other being Bourbon. Arabica originated in Ethiopia, and this variety still grows naturally in the local primitive rainforest highlands today.
Typica beans are slender, the tree is tall, the fruit is oval, and the branches are slightly inclined. Typica has four slender branches spreading outward at an angle of 50-70 degrees. Each tree's coffee yield is very low, but cupping scores are very high.
Roasting Suggestions
Elida Estate Geisha
Elida Geisha beans are also slender. The green beans appear yellow-green, with aromas of pear, orange, and a light fermented note. Front Street Coffee uses a light roast profile. This coffee's particles and density are medium, and it absorbs a relatively large amount of heat during roasting, with the Maillard reaction proceeding relatively quickly. Front Street Coffee opens the damper when the beans begin to turn yellow, developing more fermented aroma and enhancing its sweetness and balance.
Charge when the drum temperature reaches 160°C, gas at 100, damper at 3, turning point at 1'42''. When drum temperature reaches 146°C, open damper to 4. At 146°C the bean surface turns yellow and the grassy smell completely disappears; when drum temperature reaches 166°C, reduce gas to 80, damper unchanged;
At 7'31'', ugly wrinkles and dark patches appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'28'', first crack begins. Reduce gas to 50, damper fully open at 5. After first crack, develop for 1'45'', drop at 194.5°C.
Elida Estate Typica
Elida Typica beans are slender, and the green beans appear yellow-green. Front Street Coffee uses a light-medium roast profile. The roasting philosophy is to charge at a lower temperature. Although this lacks the clean, intense character of high-temperature charging, the benefit is a very soft, smooth mouthfeel. Since the development time after first crack is very short, the gas must be sufficient, otherwise the target drop temperature cannot be reached and the caramelization degree will be insufficient. Front Street Coffee uses a sliding action to lower temperature or turn off the gas and use the drum's residual heat to continue roasting the beans. Throughout the roasting process, the beans are in an endothermic phase; only first crack and second crack are exothermic. During these two stages, it is best not to increase the gas, otherwise the beans tend to have a spicy sensation.
Front Street Coffee adds one point: sliding emphasizes, with the gas turned off, using the drum's residual heat and the heat released by the beans during the cracking phase to allow the roasted beans to continue and slowly roast.
Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct fire
Charge when drum temperature reaches 170°C, damper at 3. After 30 seconds, adjust gas to 140, damper unchanged. Turning point at 1'25''. Adjust gas once at 140°C; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. Adjust gas to 110, damper to 4;
At 8'45'', ugly wrinkles and dark patches appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'07'', first crack begins. Reduce gas to 90, damper to 4 (adjust gas very carefully—do not reduce it so much that cracking sounds disappear). After first crack, develop for 1'45'', drop at 190°C.
Cupping Flavor
Elida Estate Geisha
Dry aroma: Floral
Wet aroma: Berry, fermented aroma
Palate: Smooth entry, orange, guava, pomelo, apricot, honey, cream, high cleanliness.
Elida Estate Typica
Dry aroma: Caramel, roasted almond, floral
Wet aroma: Jackfruit, fermented wine aroma
Palate: Smooth entry, pronounced flavors of raisin, peach, orange, melon, sucrose, and caramel, green tea sensation, high cleanliness.
Brewing Demonstration
Front Street Coffee's brewing parameters are: V60 dripper, water temperature 90°C, coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, grind size based on 80% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve.
Front Street Coffee uses staged extraction, namely the three-stage pouring method. Use 30g of water for blooming, blooming time 30 seconds, then pour 95g of water in a slow circular stream. At 125g of water, pause for the stage. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and finish. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. Extraction time 2:00 (including blooming time).
Flavor Description
Elida Estate Anaerobic Fermentation Low-Temperature Sun-Dried Geisha
Smells of light fermented aroma and floral notes. On the palate, grapefruit, lemon, and guava flavors, with honey sweetness in the mid-palate and a black tea finish.
Elida Estate Sun-Dried Typica
On the palate, distinct flavors of peach, raisin, and orange can be felt, gradually giving way to sucrose and melon sweetness, with grapefruit and green tea sensations in the finish.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
