Some people say Geisha coffee is so expensive, but what exactly does Geisha coffee taste like? Front Street believes that drinking Geisha coffee feels less like a cup of coffee and more like a cup of floral and fruity tea. Because of different growing regions, the flavors that Geisha coffee presents also vary, but overall, Geisha coffee carries an elegant and refined flavor that stands in sharp contrast to the famous Blue Mountain coffee.

In fact, Geisha is a variety of coffee. Geisha, or Gesha (called Geisha in Central America), is a precious coffee variety with a unique jasmine aroma and bright fruit acidity. Because it frequently dominates various coffee competitions, its price has consequently become increasingly expensive.

Those familiar with coffee may know that Geisha coffee originally grew in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia, but due to low yield it was not valued and was even used as a windbreak tree; yet after arriving in Panama it became famous—why is that? Ultimately, it comes down to differences in environment and climate. Different climates and environments definitely produce different coffee flavors! Moreover, Front Street has discovered a rather strange characteristic of Geisha coffee: the harsher the environment, the better the coffee flavor! Will everyone have this misconception: since Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha was introduced from Ethiopia, could it be the same variety as the Geisha coffee from Gesha Village?

Front Street believes having such a thought is normal, but don't forget, Ethiopia is the gene pool of coffee, although PanamaGeisha coffee beanswere introduced and planted from Ethiopia, they are still different in variety and flavor from the Geisha coffee of Gesha Village. Although the Geisha variety's flavor is exquisite, such elegant flavor comes from a specific growing environment. The Geisha variety is very picky about its growing environment, requiring planting in areas with high altitude, cloud cover or abundant shade trees, and fertile soil. High-altitude Geisha coffee carries obvious floral aromas and exquisite, elegant fruit acidity, so Panama's growing environment is also an important reason for Geisha coffee's fame, and one of the reasons it has swept the globe.

So today Front Street will introduce to everyone the Geisha coffee of Gesha Village and the Geisha coffee of Hacienda La Esmeralda.

What is Gesha Village Estate?

In 2007, documentary director Adam Overton and his photographer wife Rachel Samuel, while filming a documentary about Ethiopian coffee for the Ethiopian government, came into contact with the coffee forests located in the Bench-Maji region(Bench-Maji). During this process, they not only gained a new understanding of the land of Ethiopia, but also conceived the idea of establishing their own coffee estate and brand. In 2009, they met Willem Boot, owner of Mule Estate and BOP judge, and Willem Boot's idea of "returning to Ethiopia to find the birthplace of Geisha" also provided an opportunity for the couple.

Gesha Village Estate(Gesha Village Coffee Estate) Unlike most Ethiopian small farms, it is a large farm of nearly 500 hectares, and has its own wet mill, laboratory, etc. In 2015, Gesha Village Estate had its first harvest. Due to enthusiastic responses from all parties, with the assistance of Willem Boot, owner of Panama's Mule Estate, they held their first international auction on May 31, 2017. Gesha Village Estate offered 21 micro-lots, of which 19 were 120 kilograms, while the other few lots were even smaller.

Gesha Village Estate's Geisha coffee is deeply loved by everyone. Many competitors chose some lots from this estate to participate in competitions and won placements. Impressive examples include Hong Kong's Zhao Jiabao, who used Gesha Village Estate's Geisha coffee to win third place in the 2017 World Barista Championship, and in the same year Japan's Takayuki Ishitani also chose Gesha Village Estate coffee to win his first Japan Barista Championship (JBC) title after ten years of competition.

Ethiopian Geisha Coffee

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee, but the Geisha coffee beans currently grown at Ethiopia's Gesha Village have little genetic relationship with the Panama Geisha coffee beans we know. Ethiopian Geisha coffee is divided into three branches:

Gori Gesha (GG): This variety replicates the genetic diversity found in the Gori Gesha coffee forest. Front Street's Gesha Village Red Label is the Gori-Gesha variety.

Illubabor Forest 1974 (IF): Discovered in 1974 during an expedition to the Illubabor Forest, and later developed by the Ethiopian research center into a disease-resistant variety.

Gesha 1931 (G31): A combination of varieties from various forests, very similar to Panama Geisha, selected by observing plant morphology, bean appearance, screen size, and cupping flavor.

It should be noted here that the first two Geisha coffee beans are completely different genetically from Panama Geisha coffee, while Gesha 1931, according to official descriptions, is the closest to Panama Geisha in both plant shape and cupping performance, but in reality the degree of genetic consistency is very small, so Ethiopian Geisha coffee and Panama Geisha coffee can be said to have completely distinct flavors.

Front Street's Gesha Village Red Label Geisha coffee uses the natural process. This Gesha Village Estate Red Label coffee's variety is the Gori-Gesha discovered in the Gori forest.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee 

Geisha coffee's journey to Hacienda La Esmeralda and its rise to fame was truly a long road. The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia. Afterwards, Geisha was sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya, introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, to Costa Rica in 1953, and to Panama in 1970. Initially, not many people paid attention to Geisha, until Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda separated it from other varieties in 2003 and entered it as a competition bean in 2004, making it the champion of the BOP competition.Only then did the Geisha variety formally enter everyone's view.

Although the Geisha variety's flavor is exquisite, such elegant flavor comes from a specific growing environment. The Geisha variety is very picky about its growing environment, requiring planting in areas with high altitude, cloud cover or abundant shade trees, and fertile soil. High-altitude Geisha coffee carries obvious floral aromas and exquisite, elegant fruit acidity, and such elegant flavor is also one of the reasons it has swept the globe.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Estate

In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and bought Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his position as a doctor to help his father run the farm, and in 1987 introduced Caturra and Catuai coffee bean varieties, beginning to grow coffee. In 1994, a wet mill was established, and from then on they had their own coffee processing plant. In 1996, they bought the nearby Jaramillo Estate, which had a superior geographical environment and existing coffee cultivation, and incorporated it into Hacienda La Esmeralda.

The reason Jaramillo caught the eye of the Peterson father and son was precisely the coffee beans originally grown there, which carried a pleasant orange aroma and floral-fruity notes, different from the original taste of Panama coffee. After cupping coffee beans from different areas of the estate, they discovered it was an unknown coffee tree growing at the highest point of the estate, so they immediately decided to separate and cultivate the coffee trees in that area independently. From Geisha's entry into the Panama Best of Panama (BOP) competition in 2004 and winning the championship, its rise was astonishing. Later, expert identification revealed that this coffee bean was the Ethiopian Geisha variety. Afterwards, the Peterson family devoted most of their energy to developing infrastructure to support excellent lot separation and fine processing.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee is divided into three types:

The Red Label lot's Geisha is grown at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters, with a cupping score above 90, mainly from the Jaramillo and Canas Verdes production areas. Front Street's Red Label Geisha coffee comes from Canas Verdes, uses the natural process, and has obvious rose aroma with the sweet-tartness of berries.
  

The Green Label lot does not participate in auctions but still has excellent quality. Green Label Geisha is grown at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters, mainly blended from lots from different plots such as Jaramillo and Canas Verdes. Front Street's Green Label Geisha coffee comes in both natural and washed processes. The washed has floral, fruity, and citrus notes with a fresh and clean mouthfeel; while the natural process, while having the base notes of the washed process, imparts a thick and juicy mouthfeel.

Blue Label is grown at an altitude of 1400-1500 meters. Blue Label blends Geisha coffee beans from three different plots: Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo. In previous years, Blue Label Geisha was only washed, but in 2020 the Blue Label lot added a natural process.(However, in 2021, Hacienda La Esmeralda stopped selling Blue Label Geisha and subsequently launched a brand new special lot, which, following past "tradition," will be calledBlack Label)

Front Street brewing recommendations:

In terms of parameters and equipment, Front Street chose: V60 dripper, water temperature 90°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee dose 15g, grind size (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve) 

Using staged extraction, bloom with 2 times the coffee dose in water, i.e., 30 grams of water for 30 seconds. The reason the blooming process is needed is to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby making the subsequent extraction more stable. Pour water in a small stream in circles until 125 grams, then pause, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop. After the water in the dripper has dripped through, remove the dripper. Start timing from the beginning of pouring; extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and swirl it to mix evenly, then pour it into a cup for tasting.

Gesha Village Red LabelGeisha Coffee Flavor:At high temperature it is citrus acidity, without losing body; as the temperature drops slightly, the acidity turns softer, the flavor leans toward yellow stone fruit notes, creamy sweetness, slight floral aroma, slight dark cocoa finish; at low temperature it is maple syrup and berries. 

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red LabelGeisha CoffeeFlavor:Bright rose, citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruit, honey, with a thick juicy mouthfeel, rich flavor layers, and pronounced sweetness.

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green LabelGeisha CoffeeFlavor:Flavor description: intense jasmine aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juicy mouthfeel, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, overall rich flavor layers, with a lasting floral and citrus finish.

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