Is Janson Estate Janson Geisha Delicious? Is it Cost-Effective? Janson Geisha Brewing Parameters Tutorial

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Janson Estate: Panama's Renowned Coffee Paradise

Janson Estate is a renowned coffee estate in Panama, with a reputation no less prestigious than Hacienda La Esmeralda. The main cultivated Geisha varieties are of exceptionally high quality. Why? FrontStreet Coffee will briefly explain one key factor. Panama possesses fertile volcanic soil—soil formed from volcanic eruptions, which includes substances such as volcanic ash, lava, and basalt. The characteristic of volcanic soil is typically porous, resulting in excellent water permeability. Additionally, because volcanic lava weathers easily and the erupted volcanic ash particles are very fine, they can be easily absorbed and decomposed by soil microorganisms. Compared to other rocky mountain areas, this makes nutrients more readily available for plant absorption, creating excellent quality Geisha. Of course, this is just one factor, with other factors waiting for you to discover personally in this article.

About Janson Estate

In 2004, Panama's Peterson family first presented the Geisha variety to the world, and since then, the international community has been captivated by Geisha, calling it the champagne of the coffee world. In 2013, the Panama Coffee Association awarded a new contender in the Panama Coffee Awards—Janson Estate's Geisha from Carl Janson. The estate owner, Mr. Carl Janson, originally from Switzerland, deeply fell in love with the Volcan area, a place surrounded by mountains similar to his homeland in Switzerland. After marrying his wife Margaret, he purchased this estate in 1940. To maintain environmental balance, Janson Estate simultaneously operates livestock farming and coffee cultivation. Currently, three generations of the family jointly manage this estate.

Janson Geisha is relatively less known in domestic markets because Janson Estate primarily focuses on domestic sales rather than export. Under conditions of high altitude, nutrient-rich volcanic soil, abundant rainfall, and suitable temperatures, Janson Estate has gradually become the second-largest Geisha producer among Panama's estates. Additionally, 50% of the estate's coffee trees are Geisha varieties. The estate has its own processing plant to handle its coffee cherries and puts significant effort into roasting to enhance the reference value of cupping results. These efforts have progressively improved the quality of Janson Estate's coffee beans, with their Geisha achieving runner-up results in the Panama Best of Panama (BOP) competition.

Variety

The pronunciation of "Geisha" is the same as the Japanese word for geisha, hence it's also known as Geisha coffee. Because the tree variety is taller than typical coffee trees, it was originally planted in a small area within the estate and used as a windbreak. The owner's son, to participate in the annual Best of Panama competition, tested all coffee tree varieties throughout the estate, giving Geisha the opportunity to shine. Subsequently, it participated in various world coffee competitions, winning a total of eleven championships.

The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 from the Geisha forest in Ethiopia and then sent to Kenya's Coffee Research Institute. In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1953, Costa Rica imported it. Geisha didn't receive much attention until Don Pachi initially brought it from the small town of GESHA in southwestern Ethiopia to Costa Rica. Later, Geisha entered Panama along the southern route, where Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda separated it from other varieties and won the national coffee championship. Geisha possesses full sweetness, an extremely clean taste, and rich aromas ranging from berries and citrus to mango, papaya, and peach. A very distinct bergamot-like aftertaste is also one of its typical cupping characteristics. To date, Geisha remains the champion among coffee varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee Green Bean Analysis

Geisha coffee green beans have a very beautiful blue-green color. Geisha green beans are relatively slender with pointed ends and a jade-like warm texture. They smell of fresh grass, peach, berry notes, and a unique milk-sweet aroma characteristic of oolong tea that most coffee beans lack. It seems that aroma and flavor require imaginative association, but the faint tea essence is something we can clearly perceive.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis - Roaster: Yangjia 600g Semi-direct Flame

This coffee has relatively large beans with high density, requiring significant heat absorption during the roasting process, and the Maillard reaction proceeds relatively quickly. In the first batch of roasting, I used a higher dropping temperature of 200°C. Before the coffee beans dehydrated and turned yellow, I continuously applied heat to ensure sufficient thermal energy would last until the end of roasting. Finally, I chose an entry temperature of 200°C with relatively reduced firepower, gradually increasing the heat during the roasting process as needed. Under this operational method, the dehydration time for the coffee was extended compared to the first batch, with a temperature increase rate of 6-8 degrees every thirty seconds. To highlight the characteristics and aroma of these beans, light roasting is used, which better brings out the beans' inherent qualities. Too dark would damage the floral aromas and fruit acidity. Of course, this should also be adjusted according to the coffee beans' characteristics and the roaster's understanding of the beans themselves. During the roasting stage, smaller initial firepower of 140 degrees and a slower roasting rhythm are used to express this coffee's multi-layered flavors.

Heat the roaster to 200°C, set the air damper to 3.5. After 30 seconds, adjust firepower to 160 degrees, damper to 3. Return to temperature point at 1'32'', when the drum temperature reaches 153.3°C, adjust firepower once. At this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration is complete. Adjust firepower to 140 degrees, damper to 4. At 9'00'', ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this moment, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'47", first crack begins, reduce firepower to 50 degrees, fully open damper to 5 (adjust firepower very carefully, not so small that cracking stops). After first crack, develop for 2'40" and drop at 197.1°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Results

Flavor: Maple syrup, lemon citrus, apple, rose, black chocolate fruity notes, pomegranate, ripe grapes, peach, and dark berry flavors, multi-layered sweet and sour.

Panama Janson Estate Geisha

Estate: Janson Estate

Region: Volcan

Variety: Geisha

Processing: Natural

Altitude: 1750m

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Grind size: 3.5 (Japan Fuji R440) Water temperature: 91°C, V60, 15g coffee, water temperature 91 degrees, grind 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

30ml water for bloom, bloom time 30s. Hot water from the pour-over kettle circles clockwise centered on the middle of the filter. Start timing when brewing begins, pour water to 30g, then stop pouring and wait 35 seconds for the second pour. For the second pour, same as before, circle clockwise centered on the middle of the filter, avoiding the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling effects. The wave filter belongs to immersion brewing, so 91-degree water can effectively bring out Geisha's flavors. Segmentation: pour to 120ml, stop water, slowly pour to 225ml, i.e., 30-120-95.

FrontStreet Coffee Flavor Description

What makes Geisha special is its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavor notes, extremely high clarity, soft and elegant acidity, lasting cotton-like sweetness, and premium black tea mouthfeel.

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