Geisha Coffee Bean Characteristics Introduction What Flavor Profile Does Geisha Coffee Bean Have at a Lighter Roast Level?

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha coffee—a coffee variety that has revolutionized coffee judges and transformed flavor trends with its exquisite floral aromas and fruity acidity—has led the development direction of specialty coffee for nearly 18 years since its rise to fame.

Origins and Journey

Geisha is a variety from the Kaffa forest region of Gesha, Ethiopia. In 1931, a British individual, along with various other native coffee varieties, sent this batch of coffee beans to Kenya under the name Gesha.

In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, and in 1953 to Costa Rica, where it was archived under the designation T2722. Panama's introduction came in the 1970s when Mr. Francisco Serracin from the Don Pachi estate brought the Geisha variety from Costa Rica.

Characteristics and Challenges

The Geisha variety is characterized by long internodes on coffee branches with large spacing between nodes. The coffee trees produce few flowers and bear limited fruit, but possess good disease resistance. Initially, when Geisha was introduced to Panama, it was used for research cultivation.

Unlike other coffee varieties, Geisha coffee trees have very thin leaf systems, meaning photosynthesis efficiency is low. The root systems are also fragile, with slow absorption of water and nutrients. Consequently, coffee yields are extremely low, and combined with high-altitude growing environments, fruit maturation occurs later. A Geisha coffee tree yields only half as much as the Caturra variety, which is one reason why Geisha is so precious.

The Breakthrough

Later, around 2000, the owner of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered that this variety possessed exceptionally special aromas as captivating as perfume. Therefore, the variety was separated and entered in the 2004 BOP (Best of Panama) competition, where it won first place.

Before FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha coffee beans were recognized by the world, the coffee everyone pursued was characterized by mellow, rich flavors. However, after the emergence of Geisha coffee beans, people began seeking bright acidity and fresh, clean口感. Coffee bean roasting styles also shifted from dark roasts toward lighter roasts to preserve more acidity in the beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Experience

According to FrontStreet Coffee's observations, the green Frontsteet washed Geisha coffee beans from Boquete, Panama display a beautiful blue-green color with a jade-like warm texture. They smell of fresh grass, peach, berries, and possess a unique milky sweet aroma characteristic of oolong tea that most coffee beans lack. It seems that aroma and flavor require imaginative association, but the subtle tea notes are clearly perceptible to us.

To highlight the characteristics and aromas of this particular bean, FrontStreet Coffee roasts it to first crack plus 1 minute and 20 seconds. Too light a roast would leave the grassy notes of Geisha beans unremoved, and the coffee would become sharp and thin due to insufficient development; too dark a roast would damage the floral aromas and fruity acidity while creating bitterness, failing to express Geisha's fresh flavors.

After roasting, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha beans appear somewhat "wrinkled"—beans with these "sexy wrinkles" are designed to highlight their original flavors and fruity acidity. The color appears cinnamon-like. Through FrontStreet Coffee's cupping comparisons, it was determined that light-roasted Frontsteet Panama Boquete washed Geisha coffee beans exhibit: bright citrus-like acidity, white floral aromas, honey-like sweetness, and green tea-like aftertaste.

Iced Pour-Over Method

For such delicate aromas in Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses pour-over methods to present them. However, since Guangzhou, where FrontStreet Coffee is located, experiences summer for more than half of the year, the scorching heat always makes people want a cup of iced coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee below uses an iced pour-over method to brew a chilled, refreshing Frontsteet Panama Boquete Geisha to see what kind of taste experience it offers.

High Concentration and High Extraction

As the name suggests, this means high concentration and high extraction rate. High concentration is easy to understand—it ensures that the brewed coffee still maintains excellent flavors after adding ice while keeping a full-bodied mouthfeel. The operation is also simple: appropriately reduce the water amount and adjust the grind finer.

With the same water amount, increasing extraction rate means allowing the coffee to extract more flavors. Iced pour-over requires us to separate part of the hot water and replace it with ice cubes, so the water amount is less than regular hot pour-over, and extraction time shortens accordingly. This reduces the extraction of later-stage compounds, thereby lowering the extraction rate. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's concept of "high extraction" here actually means allowing the brewer to extract as many soluble compounds as possible with limited water, which we can coordinate by changing techniques.

FrontStreet Coffee's Iced Pour-Over Parameters

Dose: 15 grams
10x hot water: 150 grams
5x ice amount: 75 grams
Water temperature: 92°C
Grind size: 83% pass-through through #20 sieve (EK43s setting 9, C40 setting 22)
Dripper: Hario V60
Technique: Three-stage pouring

First, place 75g of ice cubes in the server, then pour 15g of ground coffee into the filter cup and gently level it. For the first stage, use a small water flow of 3-4ml/s, pouring from the center outward in small circles to inject 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. After 30 seconds, using the same technique, inject the second 60g of water—be careful not to raise the liquid level too high, which can cause under-extraction. When the coffee liquid is about to run dry, pour all remaining 60g of hot water at 3ml/s flow rate, ensuring extraction time falls between 1 minute 50 seconds to 2 minutes.

Brewed this way, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha first presents white floral aromas, followed by fresh notes of yellow lemon and blueberry, with some sweet potato and caramel roundness. The mouthfeel is light with balanced sweet and sour notes. However, since there will be some residual crushed ice after brewing, if you don't want the coffee to be further diluted, you should drink it quickly while the ice remains.

Important Notice :

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