Review of Rare Natural Process Geisha Butterfly Coffee - Introduction to the Star Coffee Closest to Geisha

Welcome to our coffee reviews, where we look closely at the beans behind a single lot and how they perform in the cup.

Panama Boquete Mariposa Natural Process

This coffee can be considered the star product of the range. When the washed version was first launched a few years ago, its remarkably similar flavor to Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha was truly stunning. This year's washed version offers different Geisha ratios, with the highest containing up to 70%, with flavors that do not fall short of many estates' washed batches, yet it maintains a price advantage. In addition to the washed version, this year also saw the launch of natural process batches with more intense flavors to meet market demand.

Natural-processed Geisha coffees are typically priced higher and represent the premium products of major estates. This natural Mariposa batch contains 50% Geisha, with the remaining 50% composed of local Caturra and Catuai varieties. According to the roaster's cupping notes, this coffee offers citrus notes, floral and fruit aromas, moderate sweetness, and a tea-like finish.

For this roasting batch of 500g, I first took a 100g sample to estimate the defect ratio. Upon pouring them out, I discovered the roaster's gift: a complete coffee cherry. After removing the fruit, I sorted out 9.7g of defective beans, including quite a few fruit skin fragments, broken beans, over-fermentation, and uneven fermentation conditions. After complete sorting, approximately 448.5g remained.

The bean entry temperature was set to 170°C, with the return point at approximately 1 minute 04 seconds at 92.3°C. Because of inconsistent moisture content, I proceeded with extra caution during the process, dropping the beans at 204.5°C at first crack. Roasting time was approximately 9 minutes 11 seconds. The final weight after roasting was about 394.5g.

After resting for 24 hours, I conducted a tasting using 15g of ground coffee. There was a hint of citrus mixed with tropical fruit aromas. Brewing with 210cc of 92°C water, the citrus, passion fruit, and honey aromas were immediately apparent. The entry revealed grape juice flavors with refreshing acidity, and the black tea finish was quite excellent.

It felt somewhat similar to a shortened flavor profile of Perci, but the natural Mariposa's fruit characteristics were even more pronounced. While the clarity was not as good as Perci's, the richer oils from the Catuai and Caturra provided better body and a more substantial mouthfeel. For this price point, achieving such performance is quite remarkable, though the defective beans were somewhat annoying.

Note: After soaking the fruit in water, it actually sprouted and has now grown new shoots. It seems FrontStreet Coffee's hand-selected micro-batches have found their destination.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If a natural Geisha like the Mariposa is what you are after, there is a whole spectrum of Geisha to explore, and it is worth knowing how the tiers differ. FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Boquete Geisha is the most accessible introduction: an entry-level Geisha that lets you taste the classic Panamanian orange-blossom honey, the oolong-tea body, and the delicate fruit acidity for a friendly price. Panama is where Geisha became famous, first discovered by the owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda and entered into the Best of Panama competition in 2003, where it stunned the judges and won with an average cupping score of 94.6, breaking the competition record.

From there, you can climb the ladder. FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, originally called Private Collection, blends lots from several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha character at a more approachable price, while the Esmeralda Red Label Geisha, formally Esmeralda Special, is grown between 1,600 and 1,800 meters and must cup above 90 points for every lot. Ethiopia, the birthplace of the variety, offers a different angle: the FrontStreet Genlana Gesha, a medium-light roast from Yirgacheffe with bright citrus acidity, elegant ginger-lily florals, and the fine, refined finish that marks the variety, and the FrontStreet Geisha Village Gold Label, a Geisha 1931 sun-dried lot that is among the top coffees the village produces outside its auction. For an easy everyday version, the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend brings floral nuance and sweet fruit to pour-over, moka pot, and cold brew alike.