Panama Premium Coffee Variety Geisha - Arabica Cultivar from Boquete, Panama

Geisha coffee originates from Ethiopia and gained fame through Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. Panama coffee became renowned thanks to Geisha coffee. Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in the Boquete region of Panama. Boquete is a town in the Chiriqui province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its scenic beauty and fertile, rich soil, the climate and terrain are ideal for producing high-quality coffee. Many excellent estates are distributed throughout the Boquete region. Besides the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, estates like Elida Estate and Kotowa Duncan Estate are also renowned, producing premium specialty coffees. This is not only due to the superior ecological conditions of Panama's Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru volcano.

Geisha Variety Introduction:

Geisha originates from a very rare wild variety in Ethiopia. The name of the bean might come from this coffee variety discovered near a small local village called Geisha. The coffee trees grow tall with slender leaves, are resistant to coffee leaf rust, and are characterized by widely spaced branches on the trunk. The raw beans are slender in shape, and the roasted beans have strong, intense fruity aroma characteristics. Due to the low yield of this variety, it cannot be acquired for commercial trade. The most important resource that makes Panama's unique coffee is its microclimate. The Republic of Panama's east-to-west environment allows cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the central mountain range, creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete and Volcán - Candela regions, making them the main producing areas for Panama's unique coffee.

Geisha is one of the most primitive coffee varieties in the world. Some call it "Geisha," while others translate it as "Gui Xia." Her name embodies gentleness and floral fragrance, making it an unforgettable coffee experience. It is also a frequent winner in bidding competitions and cupping contests, receiving extremely high evaluations! The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 from the Geisha forest in Ethiopia and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania. In 1953, Costa Rica introduced it. Panama began growing Geisha coffee in the 1970s when Mr. Francisco Serracin from the Tumba Seven Estate obtained seeds from CATIE in Costa Rica.

The Geisha variety has swept through the coffee world with hurricane-like force. This coffee revolution has been so powerful that even the long-reigning king and queen of the coffee kingdom—Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona—have had to step aside. This wild variety native to Ethiopia, after countless battles, is now grown in major coffee-producing regions worldwide. Its best representative is Panama's "La Esmeralda" estate.

Panama is a small country located in the center of the American continent. Its beaches are washed by the waters of two great oceans: the Atlantic and the Pacific. Panama is located at 9 degrees north latitude, at the convergence point of the central mountain range, where one of Central America's highest volcanoes, Baru Volcano, is situated. With an altitude of over 11,400 feet, the surrounding land is rich in nutrient-filled soil, providing ideal conditions for the planting and cultivation of Panama's unique coffee.

The Boquete region benefits not only from the superior ecological conditions of Panama's Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru volcano but also from an important factor: the microclimate in the highlands of Boquete is a unique resource for the region's specialty coffee. This is due to Panama's east-to-west environment allowing cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the central mountain range, creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete region. The temperature and rainfall are highly suitable for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here grow in excellent condition.

In such a blessed growing environment as Boquete, there are naturally not only coffee kings like Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha, which are impressive in flavor, quality, and value. However, drinking Geisha every day is still considered luxurious by FrontStreet Coffee. Moreover, even if there's no financial pressure, eating delicacies like shark's fin and bear paw every day would not be appropriate. The same goes for coffee—having a wide variety helps better enjoy the pleasure of tasting coffee.

Panama Butterfly Coffee

The Boquete region also has another excellent Geisha coffee—Panama Butterfly. Butterfly was originally named Cupid rather than its current name. Initially, it contained only 30% Geisha. After two years of sales, the proportion was adjusted to 50%, and later adjusted again to 70%, when it was renamed Butterfly. Butterfly coffee consists of 70% Geisha coffee variety, composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. The special microclimate in Panama results in abundant rainfall in this region, along with large temperature differences between day and night. Combined with the unique volcanic soil of the volcanic region, as well as meticulous harvesting and fine processing, this coffee performs exceptionally well in body, acidity, and floral notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's Butterfly coffee performs exceptionally well in terms of body, acidity, and floral notes. Even more surprisingly, based on its excellent quality, its very approachable price makes this coffee bean offer outstanding value. The special feature of this coffee bean is the Geisha variety, which gives the coffee distinct Geisha characteristics. For friends trying Geisha coffee for the first time, Panama Butterfly coffee is an excellent entry bean.

Geisha

The specialty of Geisha lies in its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavors, extremely high cleanliness, soft and elegant acidity, persistent cotton-like sweetness, and the mouthfeel of premium black tea. The floral aroma and intense sweetness of tropical fruits create a unique floral and fruity fragrance.

Caturra

Caturra is a variant of the Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its yield and disease resistance are better than Bourbon. Additionally, the plant is shorter, making harvesting convenient. It has strong adaptability and doesn't require shade trees—it can thrive in direct sunlight, commonly known as "Sun Coffee." Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1,700 meters. It has strong altitude adaptability, but higher altitudes produce better flavor, though yield decreases accordingly.

Catuai

Catuai is also an Arabica hybrid variety, a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. It has better resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain. It inherits the advantage of Caturra's short plant height, overcoming the shortcomings of Mundo Novo. Another advantage is its solid fruit setting, making it less likely to fall off in strong winds, addressing the weakness of Arabica beans that are too delicate.

Some might ask: Is Butterfly a blended bean?

According to information obtained by FrontStreet Coffee, due to the estate's historical reasons, when pursuing yield in the early days, Geisha variety trees were mixed and planted together with Caturra and Catuai variety trees. To facilitate harvesting, coffee farmers later subdivided the three varieties. When exporting, they directly mixed the three varieties for processing to achieve the desired full-bodied flavor.

Since the three varieties in Butterfly all come from the same origin and the same region, it is considered a single-origin bean.

Panama Butterfly Coffee Bean Washed Processing Method

There are many washed processing methods today, but generally, after coffee cherries are harvested, floating beans are skimmed off, then the pulp is removed. The coffee beans are then soaked in fermentation tanks, where enzymes in the water soften the mucilage attached to the parchment, and natural yeast breaks down the sugars in the mucilage. This process is called fermentation.

After fermentation is complete, the coffee beans are moved to drying patios to dry. During the drying process, the beans need constant turning to ensure even drying. Finally, they are stored in warehouses with parchment. When green bean merchants place orders, the hulling and bagging process is carried out. Coffee processed this way has a clean taste, emphasizing bright and lively fruit acidity, as well as refreshing fruity flavors and floral notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing parameters for Panama Butterfly coffee:

FrontStreet Coffee uses: V60 dripper, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium grind (about coarse sugar size/80% passing through China #20 standard sieve), 91°C water temperature.

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds—that is, bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. The blooming process is necessary to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, making the subsequent extraction more stable. With a small water flow, pour in a circular motion until reaching 125g, then continue pouring to 225g and stop. After the water from the dripper has finished dripping, remove the dripper. Start timing from the beginning of pouring—the extraction time is 2'00". Next, take the entire cup of coffee and shake it well, then pour into cups for tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Butterfly coffee flavor characteristics: The dry aroma has the scent of white flowers, citrus flavors are very distinct, the finish has a strong tea-like sensation, honey sweetness, and a clear aftertaste.

To allow more friends to taste the flavor characteristics of Panama Geisha coffee, FrontStreet Coffee has specially made Boquete Geisha coffee from Panama's Boquete region a daily staple bean, making it a representative coffee of Panama. Geisha coffee is certainly delicious, but other varieties of coffee are also excellent, such as coffee from Ethiopia, the origin of coffee, which is very refreshing with unique flavors! For more intense flavors, there's Indonesia's Mandheling coffee, etc. FrontStreet Coffee has over fifty different single-origin coffees from various producing countries, regions, and varieties, fully satisfying everyone's love for coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions:

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee kindly reminds: If coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure created by carbon dioxide inside the packaging also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, as coffee grounds oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate relatively quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better enjoy the coffee's flavor.

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