Panama Morgan Geisha Bean Characteristics & Panama Morgan Geisha Coffee Brewing Methods

About Morgan Estate

Morgan Estate is located southwest of Volcan Baru, known as Panama's highest peak. The estate covers roughly five hectares, with an average of two thousand coffee trees planted per hectare. Because of the plants' growth characteristics and the estate's cultivation philosophy, only some coffee trees produce cherries each season. After careful selection and processing, only a small amount of coffee beans reach the market.

Morgan Estate is influenced at once by the Atlantic monsoon climate and the Pacific monsoon climate. The microclimate within the estate is rich and varied, with large temperature differences between day and night. This slows the maturation of the coffee cherries, allowing fuller development and greater sweetness. Because of the high altitude, the estate's terrain is mostly mountainous, with coffee planted on steep slopes, which makes managing the trees and harvesting the cherries harder. In managing the trees, if one is found to be infected with pests, the estate removes the entire tree and renews the soil, isolating the disease to protect the other healthy trees.

All of this keeps Morgan Estate's green bean prices high on the market, and its customers are mainly competition baristas within the coffee industry. These top baristas believe that whether a coffee becomes a great cup is decided while it is still a green bean, or even a seed. Morgan Estate's Geisha, for example, was destined for an extraordinary cup from its green bean stage.

Flavor Description

Rose aroma, grape, lychee, plus dark berry flavors, with a multi-layered sweet-and-sour resonance.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: 10 Bao'an Qianjie Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Content: 100g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Light roast
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Roast Degree: Light roast

Hand Brew Method

Hand-brewed Morgan. 15g of coffee, medium-fine grind (small Fuji ghost tooth grinder 3.5), V60 dripper, 91-93°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water, let it steam for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and stop, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before pouring again, then slowly pour until it reaches 225g, discarding the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Details

Panama Finca Morgan Geisha Volcan Natura

Country: Panama
Variety: Geisha
Region: Panama Volcan, Chiriqui
Roast Level: Light roast
Processing Method: Natural
Estate: Morgan Estate
Flavor: Rose aroma, grape, lychee

Geisha Coffee History

The pronunciation of Geisha matches the Japanese word "geisha," which is why it is also known as Geisha coffee. Because the tree grows taller than typical coffee trees, it was originally planted in a small area of the estate and used as a windbreak. When the owner's son wanted to enter the annual Best of Panama competition, he tested every coffee tree variety on the estate, and that is what gave Geisha its chance to shine. Since then it has competed around the world, winning a total of eleven championships.

The Geisha variety was discovered in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia in 1931 and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. In 1936 it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1953 Costa Rica imported it. For a long time, few people paid attention to Geisha, until one day Don Pachi brought it from the small town of Gesha in southwestern Ethiopia to Costa Rica. Geisha then entered Panama along the southern route, where Panama's Esmeralda Estate separated it from other varieties and it won the National Coffee Competition championship.

Geisha has full-bodied sweetness, an extremely clean cup and rich aromas that range from berries and citrus to mango, papaya and peach. A very distinct bergamot-like aftertaste is also typical of its cupping character. To this day, Geisha remains the champion among coffee varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Morgan Estate's Geisha has you wanting to taste Panama Geisha for yourself, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha is the most accessible place to start. It is an estate-level, entry Geisha grown at 1,600 meters on fertile volcanic ash soil, and it delivers the varietal's jasmine florals alongside green tea, honey, citrus and orange in the cup, at a price that makes a first Geisha realistic.

To step up in quality, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Green Tag Geisha, sold as the Private Collection line, blends lots from several plots rather than insisting on a single one, which showcases the estate's high-altitude Geisha character while keeping the price reasonable. At the top, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Tag Geisha is grown at 1,600-1,800 meters, each lot must cup above 90 points, and every lot carries its own number.

Geisha rewards a light touch. FrontStreet Coffee suggests pour-over through a small Hario V60 at 91°C, with 15g of coffee and a 1:16 ratio, following the slow three-stage pour described above so the delicate florals survive intact.