Introduction to Chinese Yunnan Estate Geisha Variety - How is Yunnan Geisha Coffee Bean Quality and Grade?

When it comes to specialty coffee, many people immediately think of the Geisha variety, especially Panamanian Geisha. Not only is it extremely famous, with elegant and rich brewing flavors, but it also frequently makes headlines for its prices that shatter traditions, leaving many non-industry folks astonished. However, in recent years, FrontStreet Coffee has noticed that besides foreign Geisha, Geisha coffee from China's Yunnan region has gradually appeared on the market. So are they authentic Geisha? And how do they taste?

What is Geisha?

The Geisha variety we're familiar with today originates from the primary forests of Ethiopia's Gesha region. It's an Arabica coffee variety with good disease resistance but low yield. When Geisha varieties were first collected, various coffee plants were harvested, named after the collection site Gesha Mountain, and uniformly sent to British plantations in Kenya for research and cultivation.

In 1936, it was transferred to Tanzania for continued research and cultivation, and in 1953, it was introduced to Costa Rica and cataloged as T2722. The Panama region introduced the T2722 Geisha variety in the 1960s. This variety continuously optimized its genes to adapt to the local environment, forming the delicate floral and fruit aromas and flavors we're familiar with today. After winning the Best of Panama competition in 2004, it ushered in the "Geisha era" that swept the globe.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Geisha is very particular about its growing environment, requiring high altitude, fertile soil, cloud cover or plant shade, and cannot be exposed to direct sunlight. The owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda mentioned that the estate needs numerous shade trees to protect the delicate Geisha from sunlight, and traditional pruning methods must be used during the initial planting period, otherwise the plants easily die. Geisha planted at higher altitudes has longer coffee cherry maturation times and more complex and unique flavor expressions.

Unlike other coffee varieties, Geisha coffee trees have very thin leaf systems, meaning photosynthesis efficiency is low, and their root systems are quite fragile, with slow absorption of water and nutrients. Therefore, coffee yields are very low, coupled with high-altitude growing environments, fruit maturation times are also relatively late. The yield of one Geisha coffee tree is only half that of the Caturra variety, which is one of the reasons why Geisha is so precious.

Since Geisha became famous, coffee farmers worldwide, not just in Central and South America, have rushed to plant this variety. However, each producing region has unique terroir, altitude, and corresponding planting management methods, which more or less affect the quality and flavor of coffee, thus Geisha also exhibits different flavor profiles. For first-time Geisha tasters, FrontStreet Coffee typically recommends the two most representative origins: one is Geisha's birthplace—Ethiopia, and the other is Geisha's famed region—Panama.

Panama · Geisha

Boquete is actually the name of a valley, located right between the Baru Volcano and the Cerro Pila mountains, forming a narrow strip. The scenery here is beautiful, with cool and serene dry seasons and continuous drizzle during rainy seasons. Even without discussing coffee, Boquete can attract travelers from various countries with its own advantages. Local residents who have lived here for a long time adapted to local conditions, building many restaurants, villas, resorts, and other tourism and leisure projects along the Rio Caldera River, making it a favorite exploration destination for many visitors.

FrontStreet Coffee observed through maps that Panama is sandwiched between two ocean currents, where the air currents from the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean converge above 6,500 feet in the Boquete valley, forming a unique and variable microclimate. This not only creates moderate temperature and humidity but also, under year-round cloud cover and abundant rainfall, combined with volcanic soil effects, provides coffee trees planted here with inherently superior growing conditions, making it easier to develop rich and diverse aromatic characteristics.

Before 1989, Panama's coffee prices were controlled by the International Coffee Agreement. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Panama also exported small quantities of green coffee beans to Western European countries. However, in that year, the agreement collapsed, and a crisis situation emerged with international green bean prices plummeting, with coffee bean prices once falling from $1.20 per pound to $0.74 per pound. In the early 1990s, as commercial coffee bean prices declined, Panama began turning its attention to the emerging specialty coffee market. In 1996, seven local Panamanian coffee estate owners jointly established the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) and held the first green coffee competition and online green coffee auction, aiming to jointly promote high-quality Panamanian coffee by organizing small-scale coffee growers nationwide.

With the establishment of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama, plus the Geisha variety successfully gaining popularity in the industry through BOP, the Panama region began receiving praise from international coffee professionals. In FrontStreet Coffee's view, besides the inherently ideal growing environment, Panama's coffee reputation today is also inseparable from the high-quality local coffee farmers.

On FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, Panama has multiple FrontStreet Coffee Geisha coffees. If only one could be chosen for tasting, FrontStreet Coffee would prioritize recommending FrontStreet Coffee's washed Geisha from the Boquete producing region. It selects the renowned Boquete origin, uses traditional washed processing, has extremely approachable pricing, and carries the classic citrus and honey notes of Geisha—a high-quality representative not to be missed.

Ethiopia · Geisha

Following the rise of Panamanian Geisha, some coffee researchers returned to Geisha's sampling location based on records, searching for T2722's descendants, hoping to harvest wild Geisha coffee beans that could serve as alternatives. The researchers actually found them, but the relationship isn't very close, though they share some identical genes.

In terms of flavor, Ethiopian Geisha coffee beans are not as refined, after all, they're wild Geisha that haven't had their genes modified by humans and different natural environments. Therefore, although they also have floral and fruit aromas, they're not particularly bright and will carry almond fragrance, with mouthfeel not as rich as Panamanian Geisha coffee beans.

The same applies to Yunnan's Geisha coffee beans. Whether using T2722 Geisha or Ethiopian Geisha, after arriving in the Yunnan region, Geisha coffee's flavor will also change. One reason is that the planting altitude doesn't match that of Africa and Central/South America, and there are significant differences in soil composition and climate.

When did Yunnan start planting Geisha?

After discussing the Geisha stories of Panama and Ethiopia, let's turn our attention back to our country and see how Yunnan Geisha is doing. The planting history of Yunnan Geisha coffee is not long, mainly planted in "Zuo Garden" of Yunnan's Baoshan producing region. Around 2011, the garden owner began researching Geisha coffee variety cultivation in Yunnan and designated an area in their estate specifically for Yunnan Geisha coffee planting research.

The Geisha variety at China's Yunnan Aini Estate was introduced from the Panama region in 2012. After nearly five years of cultivation by the two estates, Geisha grown in this blessed land of Yunnan produced mature, stable quality green beans with good adaptation to the local climate and soil, showing strong rust resistance, high yield, and excellent cold resistance, with particularly outstanding performance in cup quality.

Although many countries started planting Geisha coffee beans after it became famous, the flavors don't match the refinement of those grown in Panama's high-altitude regions. Even when using already "domesticated" Geisha varieties from Panama, they cannot achieve the same flavors.

Currently, Yunnan Geisha is mainly planted in Baoshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and other areas, mostly distributed on high mountains at altitudes of 1,300-1,800 meters. The coverage area still accounts for a relatively small proportion, therefore yields are low and prices are relatively higher. To taste the flavor of our country's Yunnan Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee also imported a FrontStreet Coffee natural Geisha from Baoshan, using medium-light roast and conducting tasting through cupping.

FrontStreet Coffee typically cup tests FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Geisha coffee varieties grown in Yunnan, first experiencing plum-like acidity, the sweet refreshment of red berries, a slight tea-like sensation, and nutty aftertaste. The floral aspect is not obvious, with flavor trending toward balance, overall relatively moderate.

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