The Origin of Panama Geisha Blue Label Coffee and How Its Grades Are Classified

What is the Panama Auction?

In 1996, during the lowest period of international coffee prices, seven coffee estates in the Boquete and Volcan regions saw the dawn of the specialty coffee era. They organized and established the famous Panamanian Association of Special Coffees of Panama (SCAP). In 2013, the highest bid in the BOP washed Geisha category exceeded $160 per pound, while the highest bid in the natural Geisha category was won by a natural Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda at over $350 per pound.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Brands

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha has three brands, classified by altitude:

Auction Geisha (ESMERALDA SPECIAL) (Red Label): Selected from altitudes above 1550 meters.

Boquete Geisha (Green Label): Selected Geisha from 1500 meters altitude.

(ESMERALDA 1500) (Blue Label): Selected Geisha varieties from around 1500 meters altitude.

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Blue Label. 15g of coffee, ground to a medium-fine consistency (Fuji ghost tooth grinder setting 3.5), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Information

Panama Geisha (Hacienda La Esmeralda)

Country: Panama

Grade: Blue Label

Region: Slopes of Baru Volcano

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Geisha

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Flavor Notes: Oolong tea aroma, peach fragrance, honey sweetness

Panama Geisha Coffee Beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda

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. Geisha drew little attention until Don Pachi first brought it from the small town of GESHA in southwestern Ethiopia to Costa Rica. Afterward, Geisha traveled along the southern route into Panama, where Hacienda La Esmeralda separated it from the other varieties and won the national coffee championship.

Flavor Description

Oolong tea aroma, peach fragrance and honey sweetness create a refreshing, comfortable experience, bright yet balanced. The layered aroma is extremely rich, with the whole fragrance wrapped in caramel sweetness. On entry, the tongue picks up distinct fruit acidity that becomes gentle and rounded in the mouth. The fruit sweetness and aftertaste are intense, like drinking fresh fruit tea, clear and refreshing. As the temperature drops, the acidity grows more delicate. The flavor is remarkably long-lasting, leaving you completely satisfied.

Geisha is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for geisha, which is why it is also known as Geisha coffee. Because the trees are taller than those of typical coffee varieties, they were originally planted in a small area of the estate and used as windbreaks. The estate owner's son, hoping to enter the annual Best of Panama competition, tested every coffee variety on the estate, which gave Geisha its chance to shine. It went on to compete in coffee competitions around the world, winning a total of eleven championships.

Geisha possesses rich sweetness, an extremely clean mouthfeel and abundant flavors that range from berries and citrus to mango, papaya and peach. A very distinct bergamot-like aftertaste is another typical cupping characteristic. To this day, Geisha has remained the champion among coffee varieties.

Panama is one of the most important regions on the world coffee map. The auction beans from here fetch prices of over a hundred US dollars every year.

Award Records

(The following are the award records of Hacienda La Esmeralda:)

Champion of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Annual Cupping Competition

1st Place Specialty Coffee Association of America

Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion

Second Place in the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Annual Cupping Competition

2nd Place Coffee of the Year

Champion of Best of Panama

1st Place "Best of Panama"

Rainforest Alliance Coffee Quality Cupping Competition Champion

1st Place Rainforest Alliance for Quality

Detailed Information

Panama Geisha (Hacienda La Esmeralda)

[Origin]: Panama

[Region]: Located on the slopes of Baru Volcano, the highest peak in western Panama

[Estate]: Hacienda La Esmeralda

[Grade]: Blue Label

[Growing Altitude]: 1500m

[Processing Method]: Fine washed processing

[Special Certification]: Rainforest Alliance Certified

[Roast Level]: Light roast city-

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the Blue Label is your way into Panama Geisha, it helps to see where it sits in the lineup. Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha is sold under three brands by altitude: the Red Label (Esmeralda Special) from the highest plots, the Green Label, and the Blue Label at around 1500 meters, the most accessible of the three. Whichever label you choose, the house signature is the same: oolong tea aroma, peach fragrance and honey sweetness, wrapped in caramel, bright yet balanced, with fine acidity that grows more delicate as the cup cools.

If you want to try Ethiopian Geisha for contrast, FrontStreet's Granada Estate Geisha comes from the Granada processing station at the border of Ethiopia's Kochere and Gelana Abaya regions. Founded in 2014 and run by Mr. Israel Degefa, the station draws on some 700 hectares of coffee-growing land, much of it uncultivated, with fertile soil and shade trees throughout. Hand-picked ripe cherries are dried on raised beds for 14-20 days depending on the weather, and brewed at a medium-light roast the cup shows bright citrus acidity, elegant ginger-flower aroma and ripe-fruit sweetness with a delicate finish.

Geisha is a medium-light, floral-fruity coffee with a hard density, so it can sink and clog the drain holes during brewing. FrontStreet suggests a grind of about 78% passing China's standard #20 sieve, roughly fine-sugar size, and 91°C water. Hand-brew with 15g of coffee, a small Hario V60 and a 1:16 ratio: start the timer, pour to 30g for a 30-second bloom, then circle with a small stream to 125g, wait for the bed to drop halfway, and continue to 225g, with a total extraction time of about 2:10-2:20. For a different angle, the Strawberry Candy blends Costa Rican honey-process coffee with Panama Geisha, so you get delicate florals and sweet fruit in one bean that works for pour-over, moka pot, espresso machine and even cold brew.