Panama Esmeralda Estate Red, Green, and Blue Label Geisha Coffee Bean Grading System and Flavor Profile Differences

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When it comes to Panamanian coffee, one must mention Hacienda La Esmeralda. Hacienda La Esmeralda is both the discoverer of Geisha flavor and the promoter of Geisha coffee. Their dedication to Geisha varieties shows their commitment to quality. Speaking of Hacienda La Esmeralda's quality control capabilities, FrontStreet Coffee must mention their grading system. Hacienda La Esmeralda established its own grading system, dividing Geisha coffee beans into three levels: Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label.

FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu includes these three different grades of Geisha coffee beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda, but FrontStreet Coffee rarely actively recommends Geisha coffee beans unless customers specifically request them. FrontStreet Coffee does this not because they think Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha is poor—in fact, it's because Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha is excellent, with quality ranking among the world's best Geisha coffees. FrontStreet Coffee considers that not all customers have a certain understanding of Geisha flavors. Some customers visiting FrontStreet Coffee are even trying pour-over coffee for the first time. If they start with the best varieties right away, other coffees will seem rather ordinary. FrontStreet Coffee more often suggests a progressive tasting approach, allowing customers to gradually develop their coffee flavor cognition and slowly discover the richness of the coffee world.

FrontStreet Coffee · Panamanian Coffee

Climate has shaped Panamanian coffee. Panama borders Costa Rica and Colombia. The east-to-west environment allows cold air currents to flow through the central mountain range and converge at altitudes above 6,500 meters, creating a very unique microclimate in the Boquete and Piedra de Candela regions. This area has temperature and rainfall patterns perfectly suitable for plant growth, and this microclimate region is the main production area for Panamanian coffee. Besides climate, the surrounding land is rich in nutrients, and the fertile soil provides perfect growing conditions for coffee, cultivating numerous unique, high-quality coffees.

In addition to natural factors, there's another important reason why Panamanian coffee has gained worldwide attention. Starting from the late 20th century, FrontStreet Coffee feels that Panama's coffee development has been rather privileged. Because the United States helped build the Panama Canal in the late 20th century and also controlled it independently for a period, a large number of American elites moved south to Panama—both for work needs and to explore business opportunities. Hacienda La Esmeralda is a witness to this elite trend era.

FrontStreet Coffee · Panamanian Coffee Regions

Panama has three main coffee-producing regions: Boquete, Volcán, and Renacimiento. Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in the Boquete region.

Boquete is a town in the Chiriquí province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Barú Volcano. It boasts beautiful scenery, rich and fertile soil, and climate and soil conditions perfect for producing high-quality coffee. The microclimate in the highlands of Boquete is a unique resource that makes its specialty coffee stand out.

FrontStreet Coffee · Hacienda La Esmeralda

In 1964, American banker Rudolph A. Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy operations. Later, his son Price quit his medical practice to help his father run the farm. In 1987, they introduced Caturra and Catuaí coffee varieties, and in 1994, they established a washed processing plant, giving them their own coffee processing facility.

Currently, Hacienda La Esmeralda has three main estates growing Geisha varieties: El Velo, Cañas Verdes, and Jaramillo. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo estate, which had excellent geographical conditions and good original coffee varieties. El Velo was acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2012. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Hacienda La Esmeralda's decision to acquire high-altitude estates with excellent production was unique at the time, which helped them establish a significant position in the coffee industry.

Among these, the Jaramillo estate is where the Panamanian Geisha coffee variety is cultivated. Due to its low yield, the previous owner only used it as a windbreak tree until its acquisition, when its extraordinary flavor was discovered. FrontStreet Coffee feels this is precisely the charm of Geisha—the harsher the growing environment, the better the flavor expression.

Although Hacienda La Esmeralda initially discovered coffee beans with flavor potential, they conducted cupping tests on coffee beans from different areas of the farm to ensure precision, determining planting plots based on altitude. This is why we now know the Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label Geisha grades—all classified by altitude. FrontStreet Coffee will explain this content in detail later.

After winning first place in the 2004 Best of Panama (BOP) green bean competition, their Geisha continued to achieve astonishing results. Later, expert identification confirmed that this coffee variety was the Geisha variety from Ethiopia. After this discovery, the Peterson family focused most of their energy on developing infrastructure to support outstanding batch separation and fine processing.

FrontStreet Coffee · Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Variety Plot Division

High-quality Panamanian Geisha coffee beans are mainly produced from two plot estates: Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes.

Jaramillo has an annual rainfall of 4000ml, with average daytime temperatures between 19-25°C and nighttime temperatures between 11-15°C. The average altitude is 1600-1700m. The Jaramillo plot is subdivided into 5 small plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, and Buenos Aires.

Cañas Verdes has an annual rainfall of 3500ml, with average daytime temperatures between 16-23°C and nighttime temperatures between 10-15°C. The average altitude is 1600-1800m. Cañas includes 9 small plots: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Chinta, Cabaña, and Tumaco.

El Velo is the most recently acquired plot by Hacienda La Esmeralda, with an average altitude of 1700-1900m. In addition to Geisha and Catuaí, this plot also has small quantities of other exotic varieties such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28. El Velo is divided into 7 small plots: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Higuerón, Higo, Buena Vista, and Águila.

FrontStreet Coffee · Geisha Red, Green, and Blue Labels

FrontStreet Coffee believes that Hacienda La Esmeralda's marketing strategy differs most from other estates in that they divide their products into five major brands based on cupping performance, cultivated varieties, and growing plots. The Geisha varieties have three brands: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. The Catuaí varieties have two brands: Diamond Mountain and Palmyra.

FrontStreet Coffee · Red Label Geisha

The Geisha produced by Esmeralda Special is what we commonly call Red Label Geisha. It uses Geisha beans grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, produced from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes regions.

The independent auction organized by Hacienda La Esmeralda features only the Geisha batches selected from the designated plots for bidding—the auction Red Labels. Customers often ask whether the auction Red Label or the regular Red Label tastes better. Actually, the non-auction Red Label and the auction Red Label come from the same plots—the difference is whether they participated in the auction. FrontStreet Coffee believes there's no need to insist on drinking auction-level beans—first, the price is indeed higher, and second, if you just want to try, the regular Red Label Geisha is also an excellent choice.

This grade of Geisha uses natural or washed processing methods, with flavors featuring special, bright floral aromas and citrus notes.

FrontStreet Coffee · Green Label Geisha

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, consists of non-competition batches—Geisha varieties grown at altitudes that don't participate in auctions but still maintain excellent quality. It uses Geisha beans grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, from different plots including Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes, creating micro-batch blends.

People often ask about the difference between Red Label and Green Label. FrontStreet Coffee gives the most straightforward answer: Red Label Geisha can be traced back to specific small plots, while Green Label Geisha is a blend that cannot be traced to specific plots. Because it uses a blending model without detailed plot specifications, sometimes the Green Label might have very similar flavors to the Red Label, but the next batch might differ. FrontStreet Coffee feels that drinking Green Label is like buying a lottery ticket—perhaps this batch you're drinking has the flavor of a Red Label.

Although FrontStreet Coffee's Green Label Geisha doesn't reach the high level of the Red Label, it still possesses the classic Geisha flavors—floral notes, fruit aromas, citrus acidity, and thick, juicy texture. Green Label Geisha also comes in both washed and natural processing.

FrontStreet Coffee · Blue Label Geisha

The Geisha 1500 brand is what we commonly know as Blue Label Geisha. It uses blends from three different plots—Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo—grown at altitudes of 1400-1500 meters. The flavors feature subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a relatively less thick texture. FrontStreet Coffee's Blue Label Geisha is available in both washed and natural processing.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

When FrontStreet Coffee roasts these three different grades of Panamanian Geisha coffee beans, the main approach is to highlight Geisha's rich floral aromas and bright, varied fruit acidity characteristics, using a light roast method. However, FrontStreet Coffee considers that each grade has different growing environments, so roasting details need corresponding adjustments.

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha

Heat the drum to 150°C, add beans, set flame to 120, and damper to 3; Return to temperature point at 1'36", when drum temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 4, keeping flame unchanged; When drum temperature reaches 147.6°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When drum temperature reaches 150°C, adjust flame to 100, keeping damper unchanged;

At 7'38", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms into coffee aroma—this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this moment, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 8'10", open damper to 4, develop for 1'28" after first crack, then drop at 189.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha

Heat the drum to 160°C, add beans, set flame to 110, and damper to 3; Return to temperature point at 1'28", when drum temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 3.5, keeping flame unchanged; When drum temperature reaches 153.3°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. When drum temperature reaches 161°C, adjust flame to 90, keeping damper unchanged;

At 6'54", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms into coffee aroma—this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this moment, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 7'50", open damper to 4, develop for 1'20" after first crack, then drop at 192.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha

Charge temperature 180°C, yellowing point 5'20", 151.6°C, first crack point 8'30", 181.8°C, develop for 1'28" after first crack, drop at 190°C.

Cupping Flavors

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha

Dry Aroma: Jasmine, citrus

Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon, honey

Taste: Lemon, honey, berries, orange peel, mango, cream, citrus, tea-like sensation

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha

Dry Aroma: Jasmine, ginger flower

Wet Aroma: Lemon, sweet orange

Taste: Lemon, sweet orange, honey, cream, almond, tea-like sensation

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha

In 2021, Hacienda La Esmeralda announced the discontinuation of the Blue Label series, which was replaced by another trader promoting the "Las Rocas" Geisha brand. Upon verification, Las Rocas Geisha is indeed the Blue Label from Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Dry Aroma: Floral notes, citrus

Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon

Taste: Citrus, lemon, honey, nuts, tea-like sensation

How FrontStreet Coffee Brews Geisha Coffee

Red Label Green Label Blue Label Altitude 1909-2069m 1600-1800m 1500m Processing Method Natural Washed Washed Roast Level Light Roast Light Roast Light Roast

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using the following brewing parameters: Hario V60 dripper, 90°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size of 80% passing through China standard #20 sieve.

FrontStreet Coffee considers that these FrontStreet Coffee Panamanian Geisha beans are all lightly roasted. Light-roasted beans have lower solubility than dark-roasted ones. Therefore, to ensure full extraction of Geisha flavors, FrontStreet Coffee uses higher water temperature for brewing and also chooses a finer grind size.

Regarding grinding, FrontStreet Coffee uses a screening method to determine the appropriate size. Based on the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) grinding recommendations for pour-over coffee, combined with practical operation verification, FrontStreet Coffee found that using different grind sizes for brewing produces significantly different results, and each coffee bean variety requires different grind sizes—this is the significance of screening. If you don't have a sieve at home, FrontStreet Coffee suggests observing the flow rate to judge—too fast means the grind is too coarse, too slow means the grind is too fine.

Brewing Technique

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, also called three-stage pouring. Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, then pour in a small circular motion to 125g for the first segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Descriptions

FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label: Bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricots, complex fruits, honey, with thick juice-like texture, rich flavor layers, and noticeable sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Green Label: Rich jasmine floral aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like texture, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, overall rich flavor layers, with lasting floral and citrus aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Blue Label: Floral notes, with gentle lemon and grapefruit acidity on entry, honey sweetness in the mid-palate, oolong tea-like sensation and brown sugar sweetness in the finish, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha: Three Different Brewing Methods

FrontStreet Coffee used the V60 dripper for the brewing mentioned above, but there are actually other ways to enjoy it. FrontStreet Coffee will use FrontStreet Coffee's Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha as an example, brewing it with a three-hole Kalita dripper and a flat-bottom dripper to see how they differ from the V60 method used above.

Kalita Dripper

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

FrontStreet Coffee uses the same brewing parameters as mentioned above: 90°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size BG#4Q (80% passing through China standard #20 sieve).

The brewing technique also uses segmented extraction. Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, then pour in a small circular motion to 125g for the first segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Flat-Bottom Dripper

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

FrontStreet Coffee uses the same brewing parameters as mentioned above: 90°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size BG#4Q (80% passing through China standard #20 sieve).

The brewing technique also uses segmented extraction. Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, then pour in a small circular motion to 125g for the first segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Comparison

V60: Floral notes, with gentle lemon and grapefruit acidity on entry, honey sweetness in the mid-palate, oolong tea-like sensation and brown sugar sweetness in the finish, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

Kalita: Entry shows distinct citrus, lemon, and bergamot flavors, with fresh jasmine and ginger flower floral notes, carrying honey sweetness and green tea-like sensation.

Flat-Bottom Dripper: Aroma of jasmine flowers, with citrus sweet and sour notes on entry, chocolate and nut flavors in the mid-palate, with honey sweetness. The mouthfeel is relatively full-bodied and overall balanced.

Through comparison, FrontStreet Coffee can clearly feel that the V60 produces richer flavor layers, the flat-bottom dripper produces a more balanced mouthfeel, and the Kalita dripper produces an overall cleaner profile.

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