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Panama Esmeralda Estate Blue Label Geisha Pour-Over: Temperature, Grind Size, Water-to-Coffee Ratio Records & Brewing Techniques

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional Barista Exchange - Follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style) Geisha is pronounced the same as the Japanese word "geisha," hence it's also known as "Geisha Coffee"; because the coffee tree variety is generally taller than typical coffee trees, it was originally planted in a small area within the estate and used as a windbreak. To participate in the annual "Best of Panama" coffee competition, the estate owner's son...

In today's society, if you ask what beverage is most expensive, many people would answer coffee, especially specialty coffee, which is even more expensive! How expensive is it? FrontStreet Coffee sells a cup of Blue Mountain coffee for 60 yuan, and a cup of Gesha for 60 yuan. At first glance, this seems very expensive, yet it's actually the lowest price in the industry! Especially for Gesha, nowadays it's truly said that if you haven't drunk Gesha coffee in your life, all other coffee experiences are in vain!

The Origin and Discovery of Gesha Coffee

Named "Geisha," pronounced the same as the Japanese word for geisha, Gesha coffee is also known as "Geisha coffee." Because the coffee trees are taller than typical coffee trees, they were originally planted in a small area within the estate and used as windbreaks. The estate owner's son, wanting to participate in the annual Panama Best Coffee competition, searched through all coffee tree varieties in the estate for testing, giving Geisha its chance to shine. Since then, it has participated in various world coffee competitions, winning a total of eleven championships.

The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1953, Costa Rica brought it in. For a long time, Geisha didn't receive much attention until one day, Don Pachi first 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 offers rich sweetness, an exceptionally clean taste, and abundant 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 this day, Geisha remains the champion among coffee varieties.

Panama is the most important region on the world coffee map. Here, auction beans annually fetch prices exceeding hundreds of US dollars.

Awards and Recognition

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

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

1st Place Specialty Coffee Association of America

Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion

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

2nd Place Coffee of the Year

Panama Best Coffee (Best of Panama) Champion

1st Place "Best of Panama"

Rainforest Alliance Coffee Quality Cupping Competition Champion

1st Place Rainforest A for Quality

Panama Geisha (Hacienda La Esmeralda)

Country: Panama

Grade: Blue Label

Region: Boquete

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Variety: Gesha

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Flavor: Oolong tea aroma, peach aroma, honey aroma

Panama · Hacienda La Esmeralda Gesha Coffee Beans

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]: 1450M

[Processing Method]: Fine washed processing

[Special Certification]: Rainforest Alliance Certified

[Roast Level]: Light roast city-

Panama Coffee Auction

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 formed the famous Panamanian Association of Special Coffees of Panama (SCAP). In 2013, the highest bid for washed Gesha in the BOP Gesha category exceeded $160 per pound, while the highest bid for natural Gesha was claimed by a natural Gesha from Hacienda La Esmeralda at over $350 per pound.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Gesha has three brands, divided by altitude:

Auction Gesha (ESMERALDA SPECIAL) (Red Label), selected from altitudes above 1550 meters.

Boquete Geisha (Green Label), specially selected Gesha from 1500 meters.

(ESMERALDA 1,500) (Blue Label), specially selected Gesha varieties from around 1500 meters altitude.

[Flavor Description]: Oolong tea aroma, peach aroma, honey aroma - refreshing and comfortable, bright yet balanced, with extremely strong aromatic layers. The entire aroma is wrapped in caramel sweetness, with noticeable fruit acidity on the tongue upon entry. The mouthfeel is gentle and rounded, with strong fruity sweetness and aftertaste, like swallowing a mouthful of fresh fruit tea that deeply satisfies the heart and soul. The lower the temperature, the more delicate the acidity. The aftertaste is quite long-lasting, leaving one feeling completely satisfied!

Brewing Methods

Kalita Three-Hole Trajectory Dripper

The Kalita trapezoidal dripper, also known as a "fan-shaped dripper" or "trapezoidal dripper," has smaller holes at the bottom. The Kalita trapezoidal dripper features many ribs on its cup walls, distributed in straight lines with consistent spacing between ribs, designed to increase exhaust and water flow speed. Simultaneously, its flow rate is relatively slow, primarily using immersion extraction.

Parameters & Technique:

Water temperature: 90°C; medium-fine grind (BG 5R: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), coffee-to-water ratio 1:15.

15g coffee grounds, bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour to 129g in stages, continue pouring to 230g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from blooming) Extraction time: 1'55"

Flavor: Entry reveals distinct citrus, lemon, and bergamot flavors, with fresh jasmine and ginger flower aromas, honey sweetness, and green tea notes.

V60

The V60 dripper design focuses on the speed of water level decline, allowing coffee particles to achieve better extraction with faster flow. Internal ribs use curved vortex structure design to assist in accelerating water flow, extending from bottom to top, indicating smooth exhaust performance. Curved ribs increase water flow path to extend contact time between coffee particles and water.

Parameters & Technique:

Water temperature: 90°C; medium-fine grind (BG 5R: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), coffee-to-water ratio 1:15.

15g coffee grounds, bloom with 28g water for 30 seconds, pour to 128g in stages, continue pouring to 230g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from blooming) Extraction time: 1'50"

Flavor: Aroma carries ginger flower fragrance, entry reveals citrus and lemon acidity, mid-palate has honey sweetness, finish shows green tea notes and brown sugar sweetness.

Cake Dripper

The cake dripper has a flat bottom and belongs to semi-immersion extraction, with longer immersion time. The dripper bottom has 4 holes, ensuring relatively uniform flow rate.

Parameters & Technique:

Water temperature: 90°C; medium-fine grind (BG 5R: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), coffee-to-water ratio 1:15.

15g coffee grounds, bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour to 130g in stages, continue pouring to 230g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from blooming) Extraction time: 1'52"

Flavor: Aroma reveals jasmine fragrance, entry shows citrus sweet and sour notes, mid-palate has chocolate and nut flavors with honey sweetness. The mouthfeel is relatively rich and overall well-balanced.

Cold Brew

Cold brew is a type of cold extraction where coffee grounds and water are placed in a low-temperature environment for extended extraction time, then filtered to complete.

Parameters & Technique:

Grind size: medium-fine (BG 5R: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), 20g coffee grounds, coffee-to-water ratio 1:10. Pour grounds into a cup, add 200g room temperature water, stir with a stir bar ten circles to fully saturate coffee grounds with water. After steeping for 12 hours, filter the coffee liquid.

Flavor: Aroma carries light ginger flower and jasmine fragrances, entry reveals lemon, honey, nut, and green tea flavors, overall refreshing and clean.