Geisha coffee has always been popular in the specialty coffee world thanks to its juicy mouthfeel and intense floral aroma. You're probably most familiar with the Geisha from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda—after all, the estate made its name and fortune on Geisha coffee, and it has won so many awards with it that its hands are practically full. But did you know? Because of Geisha's outstanding quality, many other producing regions have also started growing it. In addition to the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, Front Street Coffee also carries Geisha from Costa Rica's Candelilla Estate and Geisha from Ethiopia's Gesha Village.  

 Although the three Geishas Front Street carries are all of theGeishavariety, the Geisha coffees from these three producing countries are not entirely the same in flavor due to differences in environment, climate, terrain, and processing method. Each has its own characteristics, so you can choose the Geisha coffee that best suits your taste based on the flavor profile you enjoy.

 Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, is home to many wild coffee tree species. There are so many unnamed coffee trees that even locals can't tell them apart, so Ethiopians simply refer to them as Ethiopian heirloom varieties. The world's coffee tree species all originated here, and Geisha coffee was discovered in Ethiopia's Gesha forest. Geisha coffee was then sent to Kenya for research, and from there spread to Uganda, Tanzania, and Costa Rica—and Panama's Geisha variety was introduced from Costa Rica.

 Front Street will first introduce the Geisha coffee from Bench Maji's Gesha Village in Ethiopia. Gesha Village sits at a high altitude, with coffee trees generally grown between 1,900 and 2,000 meters—even higher than the Geisha coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. Panama's Red Label and Green Label Geisha are grown at elevations between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, while Blue Label is grown lower, generally between 1,400 and 1,500 meters. Gesha Village's high altitude is very conducive to the formation of coffee flavor compounds. The higher the altitude, the harder the beans, and the better the brewed flavor. Just as Front Street has compared Brazilian and Colombian coffees through cupping: Brazilian coffee is generally grown on plains, while Colombian coffee is grown on mountain slopes. By comparison, Colombian coffee has a fuller body than Brazilian coffee, while Brazilian coffee tastes thinner. This shows that altitude is highly beneficial to the formation of coffee flavor.

Even coffees from the same producing country, Ethiopia, can differ considerably in flavor. For example, the Yirgacheffe region and Gesha Village, both in Ethiopia, produce completely different Geisha coffee flavors. Coffee beans from Yirgacheffe have a very pronounced lemon-citrus note with a faint jasmine floral aroma. Gesha Village's Geisha coffee, on the other hand, has less pronounced acidity than Yirgacheffe—its acidity is more like fruit acidity, such as passion fruit.

 Gesha Village has a strict internal grading system: Auction Lot, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka Lot. The main Geisha varieties at Gesha Village are "Gori Gesha" and "Gesha 1931." Of these, Gesha 1931's flavor is relatively similar to Panama Geisha. The Red Label Geisha from Gesha Village on Front Street's bean list is the Gori Gesha variety, processed as natural. When Front Street brews this coffee using the three-pour pour-over method, it has a faint fermented aroma and creamy flavor, with citrus and tropical fruit notes on the palate.

The Gold Label Geisha comes from the Oma block of Bench Maji coffee. The variety is Gesha 1931, and like the Red Label, it is naturally processed. At this point, you might be wondering: what's the difference between these two Geisha coffees from Gesha Village?  

 So Front Street will explain the difference between these two Gesha Village Geisha coffees in the most direct and simple way. To compare two coffees, taste and flavor are the most direct approach. So Front Street used the same brewing method to compare these two Geisha coffees. Front Street found that the Gold Label Geisha has a relatively clean cup, with noticeable tea-like and juicy qualities, while the Red Label Geisha has higher sweetness than the Gold Label—like the sweetness of fruit candy—with a very intense fermented aroma.  

If you were to compare Gesha Village coffee with Panama's Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label Geisha, Front Street believes Gesha Village's Geisha coffee leans more toward the fruity type,while Panama's Hacienda La EsmeraldaGeisha leans more toward tea and floral notes. Moreover, Gesha Village's Geisha coffee has higher sweetness than coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda.  

 There's also the Chaka Lot Geisha coffee, which is a blend of coffee from all blocks of the estate and across the entire production season. Chaka Lot coffee comes in both natural and washed processing methods and includes three coffee varieties from Gesha Village: Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor. Compared with the Red Label, Chaka has a very pronounced osmanthus aroma, lemon-like acidity, and, once cooled, peach and tea notes. Front Street believes these three Geisha coffees from Gesha Village each have their own characteristics.  

Next, Front Street introduces the Geisha coffee from Costa Rica, a country known for its honey processing method. This Geisha coffee comes from Candelilla Estate in Tarrazú, Costa Rica's largest specialty coffee producing region. The estate mainly grows Caturra and Catuai, with other varieties including Geisha, SL-28, and Typica.

  Candelilla Estate has a romantic origin for its name: because local coffee farms would see many fireflies at night, the estate was called Candelilla Estate ("little candle" estate). Candelilla Estate's environment is highly suitable for growing coffee, with a large day-night temperature difference that helps the coffee cherries better accumulate nutrients and develop more delicious flavors. When Front Street brews this Candelilla Estate Geisha coffee, compared with Panama Geisha, it leans more toward fruity notes, floral aromas, and bright acidity.   

Finally, there'sthe flavor of Panama Geisha coffee! Front Street has learned that Panama's two main specialty coffee producing regions are Boquete and Volcán. Their coffee exudes an elegant, captivating perfume-like floral fragrance that evokes fruity aromas, and its lingering coffee aroma is a defining characteristic. Several of Front Street Coffee's beans come from the Boquete region, such as Butterfly coffee beans and Elida Typica. The Boquete region is located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Barú Volcano. The soil is fertile and rich, and the climate and soil are highly suitable for producing high-quality coffee.

 The naturally processed Panama Green Label Geisha that Front Street recently added to its lineup sometimes brews up with Geisha's classic flavors: floral, fruity, and a rich, full-bodied citrus-like acidity. This is because both the Green Label and Red Label come from Hacienda La Esmeralda's highest-quality Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes producing areas. So although the Green Label is not as high a grade as the Red Label, because it uses a blend of different blocks, the two share a very high degree of flavor similarity.     

In recent years, more and more countries have joined the ranks of Geisha growers—Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia all produce Geisha. Front Street has also cupped this naturally processed Green Label Geisha. When ground, you smell a dry fragrance reminiscent of passion fruit; after pouring in hot water, a jasmine floral aroma rushes forth. When you actually taste it, there's a very bright lemon acidity on the palate, and once cooled, passion fruit aroma, strawberry juice-like quality, and a honey-like sweet finish. This is a very classic Geisha flavor profile and well worth picking up.

Brewing suggestions for Geisha coffee:

Dripper: V60

Dose: 15 g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 90-93°C

Grind size: medium-fine (80% passing through a No. 20 standard sieve)

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing method

For the first pour, use 30 g of water for a 30-second bloom. For the second pour, use a slow circular pour until the water reaches 125 g, then pause. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring for the third stage until 225 g, then stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) Total extraction time: 2'00".

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