Is Panama Geisha's Chinese Name 'Guixia' the Same Coffee as 'Yiji'?

Geisha is arguably the most renowned coffee bean since Blue Mountain, becoming the highest-priced "treasure" in many coffee shops. Besides the widely known name "Geisha," some people also call it "Geiko" in the market. What's the difference? How did Geisha gain such fame? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will answer all these questions for you.

Is "Geisha" the same as "Geiko"?

In 1931, Geisha was originally collected from the wild Kaffa forest in southern Ethiopia with the purpose of finding new disease-resistant varieties, named after the nearby Geisha Mountain. Later, it was transferred to research institutes in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania for trial planting. In 1953, the Geisha variety arrived at CATIE, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center in Costa Rica, and was recorded as T2722. Although it was cultivated in several local farms, Geisha's fragile branches and low yield did not make it popular among farmers, nor was it widely cultivated.

Starting in the 1960s, CATIE gave T2722 Geisha to Panamanian coffee farmers, and Geisha truly began to set foot in Panamanian soil. In the 1990s, the Peterson family, owners of Hacienda La Esmeralda, began to focus on coffee production and acquired a new high-altitude farm, Jaramillo. Many coffee trees in the farm suffered from leaf rust, but Daniel Peterson noticed that Geisha trees were not severely damaged. Therefore, they decided to transplant Geisha, which was originally mixed with other varieties, to more areas of the farm while increasing its planting altitude.

In 2003, the Peterson family finally discovered Geisha's potential. When they cupped it for the first time, it revealed a rich white flower aroma, an extremely clean taste, and showcased berry, citrus, and bergamot-like aftertaste, forming the typical Panamanian Geisha flavor profile. When everyone was curious about how Hacienda La Esmeralda cultivated such delicious coffee, the owner Price revealed that this coffee's variety was Geisha, which we call "瑰夏" in Chinese. In Taiwan, this coffee variety is called "艺妓" (Geiko) because Geisha's English name coincidentally matches the English name for Japanese geisha.

What are the characteristics of Geisha variety coffee?

Geisha seedlings were originally discovered and collected in the wild forests of southwestern Ethiopia. At that time, the collection purpose was to find new disease-resistant varieties, named after the nearby Geisha Mountain. In 1954, it was brought to Costa Rica and recorded as T2722. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was trial-planted in many coffee farms in Central and South America but was not widely cultivated due to its low yield and fragile plant weakness. It wasn't until 2003 that it was discovered by the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda and won the 2004 Best of Panama competition, ushering in the Panamanian Geisha era.

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 has said that the farm needs numerous shade trees to protect the delicate Geisha from direct sunlight, and traditional pruning methods must be used during the initial planting period, otherwise the plants can easily die. Geisha planted at higher altitudes has longer coffee cherry maturation time, resulting in more complex and unique flavor expressions.

Unlike other coffee varieties, Geisha coffee trees have a very thin leaf system, meaning photosynthesis efficiency is low. The root system is also fragile, with slow water and nutrient absorption, resulting in very low coffee yield. Coupled with the high-altitude growing environment, the fruit maturation time is 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.

Why is Panamanian Geisha the most famous?

As everyone knows, coffee is an agricultural product, and its flavor is not only affected by variety but also by terroir factors, post-processing, roasting, and brewing, all of which have more or less influence on the coffee's taste. This means that even if you plant the same Geisha variety as Hacienda La Esmeralda, you may not produce the same orange-blossom and honey characteristics. If you're tasting Geisha coffee for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with the Panamanian growing region where Geisha became famous. Panamanian coffee estates have more cultivation experience with the Geisha variety, and their unique Geisha flavors are more representative.

Panama's coffee growing regions are mainly concentrated in the western highlands of the Boquete valley and the Volcán area around the Barú Volcano, including Hacienda La Esmeralda, as well as the more familiar Elida Estate, Jenkinson Estate, and Hartmann Estate, all located in this area.

Boquete is one of the towns in Chiriquí Province, located on the east side of Barú Volcano at an altitude of approximately 1,000-2,000 meters on a plateau, facing the warm and humid monsoon from the Caribbean Sea, with the cold Atlantic current behind it. The mountains are high and steep. The "Barú Volcano National Park" is an ecological conservation area with rich biodiversity, featuring seven microclimates. Coupled with year-round mist cover and abundant rainfall, this creates excellent local growing conditions. Thanks to these unique terroir conditions, Geisha coffee here absorbs various essences, transforming into elegant floral and fruity notes with multi-layered acidity, naturally frequently appearing in major competitions and achieving excellent rankings.

What grade is Red Label Geisha?

On FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, there are about 10 different Geisha coffee options alone. Among Panamanian varieties, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label and Green Label Geisha possess the most classic Geisha flavors. So what do "Red Label" and "Green Label" mean?

The so-called Red Label is the Esmeralda Special grade (including auction batches), the highest grade. Red Label is harvested from high-altitude Geisha (1600-1800 meters) coffee cherries with cupping scores exceeding 90 points, mainly from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes farms. Despite facing planting and harvesting challenges at such altitudes, the floral and fruity characteristics of Geisha in the Boquete region are most prominent. Hacienda La Esmeralda holds independent auction events, where Red Label batches selected from designated plots are called auction batches. Each auction batch has a unique number, with each number corresponding to the entire batch from a specific plot. The one we most commonly hear about is probably the Mario plot from the Jaramillo farm. The Emerald Red Label Geisha coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired are from the Mario plot, processed using natural method.

FrontStreet Coffee: Emerald Red Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Region: Panama, Boquete Region

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda, Cañas Verdes

Altitude: 1700+ meters

Variety: Geisha

Processing: Natural Process

Flavor: Lemon, honey, berries, orange peel, mango, cream, citrus

Green Label refers to Private Collection, selected from Geisha planted at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, all harvested from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes plots. However, Hacienda La Esmeralda does not specifically identify plot information, so these do not participate in auctions. Although the grade is not as high as Red Label, they mainly showcase the signature classic flavors of high-altitude Geisha. The Green Label Geisha that FrontStreet Coffee acquired is processed using washed method, with cupping characteristics of fresher and more natural lemon, berries, pomelo, and Tieguanyin tea flavors.

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