What Grade is Geisha Coffee and Is It Expensive? Geisha Coffee Bean Story, Pour-Over Flavor Characteristics

Geisha coffee boasts full-bodied sweetness, an exceptionally clean mouthfeel, and rich aromas that extend from berries and citrus to mango, papaya, and peach. A distinctly prominent bergamot-like aftertaste is also one of its typical cupping characteristics. To date, Geisha coffee has remained the champion among coffee varieties.

The History of Geisha

In 1931, it was quietly exported from the Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (coincidentally sharing the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for geisha) to Kenya, wandered through Tanzania, and was later incorporated by Costa Rica's CATIE Agricultural Research Institute as the T2722 variety. In the 1960s, it made its way to Panama, where it remained for nearly half a century before stunning the world by defeating perennial champions like Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica, sweeping the top prizes in Panama's National Treasure Bean Cupping Competition for three consecutive years in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

In 2007, at the International Famous Beans Cupping Competition hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), Geisha once again claimed the championship, with a winning bid of $130 per pound, setting the highest price record in competition bean history. It's reported that subsequent Panama National Treasure Bean competitions were divided into Geisha and non-Geisha categories to prevent Geisha from stealing the spotlight from other varieties. Geisha coffee belongs to the Typica family, yet it gained fame more than seventy years after leaving Ethiopia, further confirming Ethiopia's status as a genetic treasure trove of Arabica coffee—bestowing upon the world a single variety capable of making waves in the coffee market.

Geisha coffee is cultivated in many regions worldwide and has become the new king of specialty coffee. Among these, Latin American countries like Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia produce higher quality and more expensive Geisha coffee. Since each producing country has its unique terroir, Geisha coffee from different origins exhibits distinct flavor profiles, with Panamanian Geisha coffee beans representing the most classic Geisha flavor characteristics.

Characteristics of Geisha Coffee Beans

Green Beans

The beans display a beautiful blue-green color with a jade-like warm texture. They emit aromas of fresh grass, peaches, berries, and the unique milky sweetness characteristic of oolong tea—rarely found in most coffee beans. It seems that aroma and flavor require imaginative association, but the subtle tea-like notes are clearly perceptible.

To highlight the unique characteristics and aromas of these beans, the roast level is taken to the verge of second crack. Approaching second crack and the first crack of second crack are commonly used roast levels, which—as mentioned earlier—better bring out the bean's inherent characteristics. Too light a roast may introduce undesirable flavors, while too dark a roast would diminish the floral aromas and fruit acidity. Of course, this should also be adjusted based on the coffee bean's characteristics and the roaster's understanding of the bean itself.

Roasted Beans

The roasted beans appear somewhat "wrinkled." Beans with these "sexy wrinkles" are designed to emphasize their original flavors and fruit acidity. However, if the quality of the green beans is not high, undesirable flavors may emerge, such as stale earthy notes, grassy flavors, and astringent tastes—flavors that roasters should strive to avoid. Properly roasted Geisha coffee possesses captivating lemon-citrus aromas and an exceptionally sweet honey-cream fragrance.

Geisha Flavor Profile

Floral notes, tropical fruits, and intense sweetness—these are the sensations that Geisha has consistently brought us. With proper roasting, they deliver an experience akin to sipping the fragrance of a fresh flower bouquet. Perhaps you're not yet familiar with the story of Geisha coffee: it originated as an ancient heirloom variety from Ethiopia, brought to a Costa Rican coffee experimental garden as a coffee sample and distributed to several small farms for trial cultivation.

For a long time, Geisha coffee didn't attract much attention, until one day... Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda separated it from other varieties and it won the national coffee competition championship.

It was so extraordinary, with fruit flavors and floral elements reminiscent of Yirgacheffe from the African continent's Ethiopia. Of course, this is all old news now. Some small farms have also acquired Geisha varieties and are eager to cultivate their own Geisha coffee.

However, the results have been varied: influenced by weather, soil, and altitude, this "star" variety seems to exhibit different taste profiles when cultivated in various geographical locations. Nevertheless, in the Chiriquí region, we observe typical Geisha coffee characteristics: elongated bean shape, changes during roasting, and the elegant, refined flavors in the cup.

Let's take the Panama Deborah Estate Savage Series Geisha coffee beans from FrontStreet Coffee's bean selection as an example.

FrontStreet Coffee: Deborah Estate Savage Series Geisha

Origin: Volcán region, Panama
Estate: Finca Deborah
Owner: Jamison Savage
Altitude: 2000m – 2350m
Variety: Geisha
Grade: SHB
Processing: Anaerobic Natural Processing

Finca Deborah is one of the highest altitude and most remote coffee estates in Panama. The Geisha coffee trees here are planted in areas above 1900 meters. Due to its proximity to Barú Volcano, the soil is fertile volcanic soil. The significant temperature difference between day and night, combined with frequent mist and rain, greatly slows the growth rate of coffee cherries. This means the coffee cherries have more time to absorb more nutrients.

The Savage Series coffee consists of Geisha coffee cherries from areas near Finca Deborah with similar growing conditions, acquired by estate owner Jamison Savage, then processed using Finca Deborah's sophisticated post-harvest processing methods. At such high altitudes, the resulting coffee beans are all SHB grade, extremely hard coffee beans, yielding a coffee that is necessarily sweet and sour in a delightful way.

When FrontStreet Coffee's roasters received such high-quality coffee beans, they employed a light roast level to highlight the floral and tropical fruit flavors of Panamanian Geisha coffee. For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using 92°C water temperature, medium-fine grind, and a V60 dripper.

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 92°C
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve

To give the coffee richer layers of complexity, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using a three-pour brewing method. First, pour 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. Then, starting from the center, slowly pour in a small circular motion to reach 125 grams for the second pour. When the coffee bed is about to emerge, continue pouring to 225 grams. Remove the dripper when all water has dripped into the server below. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Deborah Estate Savage Series Geisha coffee exhibits a very bright and prominent dry aroma, with rich floral characteristics and notes of honey pomelo and citrus. The light roast also reveals nutty aromas. The aroma upon entry may be gentler and more subtle than the dry aroma, with pineapple juice-like qualities. As the temperature slightly decreases, the floral and fruit flavors gradually intensify, presenting a sweet and sour sensation reminiscent of fermented dairy beverages.

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