Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha | 2018 Auction Geisha, Rare Yeast Anaerobic Fermentation Process

Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee shares coffee knowledge from around the world. This article looks at La Esmeralda's Red Label Geisha, the story behind the estate, and a rare yeast anaerobic fermentation lot from the 2018 auction.

La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete

Estate: La Esmeralda Estate - Canas Verdes Lot

Altitude: 1800+ meters

Processing Method: Yeast Anaerobic Fermentation

Variety: Geisha

Region Introduction

La Esmeralda Estate, Boquete

What is Red Label Geisha?

Premium - Red Label [Auction Batches]

Grown at altitudes of 1,600-1,800 meters

Cupping score of 90 points or above

High-quality Geisha beans

Geisha beans harvested from the highest areas of the Boquete mountains, possessing special, bright floral aromas and citrus notes

Coffee at this grade is processed into natural or washed green beans

Only available through annual global auction events

The renowned Geisha variety originated in the small mountain town of Boquete, on the eastern slopes at La Esmeralda Estate.

Boquete, with its beautiful mountains and pristine waters, has long been a sanctuary for European and American elites seeking a peaceful retirement. The town has a population of 20,000, with over 2,000 high-level expatriate residents. The coffee farm owners here are fluent in English and European languages, possess a global perspective, and hold the highest proportion of PhDs and Master's degrees among all coffee-producing countries.

As early as 1904, during the construction of the Panama Canal, large numbers of European engineers and senior managers were hired to work in the hot eastern Panama City. After the canal was completed in 1917, these highly educated professionals, especially those from Northern Europe, fell in love with Boquete. With its cool climate and spring-like weather year round, many stayed on, bought farms, retired, and enjoyed the misty, fragrant surroundings.

The Discovery Story of Geisha

In 1980, Price introduced Caturra and Catuai varieties and established a washing processing plant in 1994. In 1996, Price heard that coffee from a neighboring estate in Jaramillo was excellent, with strong citrus flavors, so he purchased the Jaramillo coffee farm and incorporated it into La Esmeralda Estate. Initially, the Peterson family mixed coffee from both estates for sale, but they always noticed a faint orange-honey fragrance and an elegant character distinctly different from the typical berry flavors of Central American coffees.

One day in 2002, Price's son Daniel had an insight: this flavor profile must come from a single variety in a specific growing area. So he began cup-testing all the varieties from different growing areas within the estate, one by one.

The cupping results revealed that the captivating floral-honey fragrance and citrus notes actually came from the windbreak forest on the outskirts of Jaramillo. This area had the highest altitude, approximately 1500-2000 meters, where the coffee trees were tall and sparse with an unremarkable appearance. The vertical spacing between branches was larger than on typical coffee trees, and the distance between flowering and fruiting nodes on each branch reached 7.26 centimeters. This indicated that the same branch unit had less dense flowering and fruiting areas, making it a low-yield variety with low economic value. That likely led the previous owner to relegate it to the most remote and windy area, where it served as a windbreak for the other high-yield varieties with shorter, denser internodal spacing.

Their conclusion was that the unknown coffee trees in the windbreak forest possessed unique genes and needed to be cultivated above 1500 meters, tempered by cold moonlight, mountain winds, and mountain air to develop their extraordinary flavor.

Typical coffee varieties cannot survive in the Jaramillo windbreak forest because of strong winds and low temperatures, but these tall, sparse coffee trees thrived. The cherries were also plumper than typical varieties and less likely to be blown off by wind. Although yields were sparse, the orange-honey fragrance was intoxicating. What variety could this be?

After consulting various experts, they learned that the variety was called Geisha. It had been introduced in 1963 by Don Pachi, an Italian who worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, but because it was planted at altitudes around 1200 meters, yields were low, beans were small, and flavor was poor, so it had been abandoned.

Large-scale processing equipment

In 2004, Geoff, a green bean purchasing expert for Intelligentsia Coffee, served as a BOP judge. He recalled that among the 25 Panama specialty coffee finalists, one entry puzzled the judges. It emitted citrus aromas, lime acidity, cane sugar sweetness, and jasmine fragrance, filling the room. When sipped, it was like fireworks blooming in the mouth with the splendor of a hundred flowers. Even Ethiopian Yirgacheffe could not have such intense orange-honey notes. The champion was decided. Estate owner Price explained to everyone that this coffee was the Geisha variety, and from that moment, Geisha gained worldwide fame.

Coffee trees under shade

It can be said that the European engineers who retired a century ago were the pioneers of today's livestock and coffee industries in Boquete. The advanced washing plants and agricultural facilities here were all masterpieces of those engineers.

La Esmeralda Estate

La Esmeralda Estate is located on a corner of Baru Volcano, so before it became famous, coffee beans from this region were often named after Baru Mountain. The areas surrounding Boquete are scenic, with many leisure hotels, villas, and vacation estates built along important rivers like the Rio Caldera. La Esmeralda Estate is located in Jaramillo on the right side of this river, and later expanded to grow coffee in the higher-altitude areas of Canas Verdes on the left side. We must thank Rudolph Peterson for his decision to purchase this property back then.

The Peterson Family

First-generation owner of La Esmeralda Estate: Rudolph A. Peterson

In 1964, the Swedish-American financier Rudolph A. Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased La Esmeralda Estate in Boquete, primarily focusing on dairy farming. Having served as President of Bank of America, he was a major figure in finance at the time. Rudolph bought Hacienda La Esmeralda for vacations and eventual retirement, likely not anticipating that the estate would become world-famous and even come to represent Panama's specialty coffee estates. In 1973, his son Price Peterson earned a PhD in neurochemistry in the United States but returned to Boquete to help his father manage the farm. After taking over, Price segmented the market into three major brands based on altitude, microclimate, cupping performance, and cultivated varieties (Esmeralda Special, Diamond Mountain, and Palmyra), and added Geisha in 2012, making it four brands.

La Esmeralda Estate includes 4 farms: Canas Verdes, El Velo, Jaramillo, and Palmira. All coffee beans are sent to processing facilities at these 4 farms. The first farm purchased by the Peterson family was Palmira.

Esmeralda Special is an independent auction organized by La Esmeralda Estate itself, featuring exclusively Geisha varieties. Each production area is named and further subdivided into small batches for auction. Only Geisha batches that La Esmeralda Estate offers for independent auction can use the Esmeralda Special name. Starting from 2013, Esmeralda Special has had nine batches.

Geisha participated in auctions in 2004, and bidding wars had already pushed Geisha prices to astonishing levels. Looking back at the 2017 Panama specialty coffee auction, a natural processed Geisha from La Esmeralda Estate reached an astronomical price of $601 per pound, almost double the previous auction. That means one kilogram of green beans cost as much as 8,900 RMB.

This year, the 2018 Panama Coffee Competition champion was also a Geisha produced by La Esmeralda Estate, with an auction price of $340 per pound, won by HARU International Corp.

This auction's Geisha categories:

Yeast Processing (ES-Y): Four LOT batches, nine boxes of beans

Natural Processing (ES-N): Nine natural processed batches, thirty-five boxes of beans

Washed Processing (ES-W): Two traditional washed batches, six boxes of beans

The champion sold for $340 per pound, belonging to the yeast category Lot ES-Y-1

Natural category, highest at $109 per pound, ES-N-9-1

Washed category, highest at $105 per pound, ES-W-1-5

Lot ES-Y-1

Harvest Date: January 31, 2018

Processing Method: Fermented with yeast for 48 hours, then washed, followed by 4 days of drying on raised beds

Altitude: 1600 meters

Region: Canas Verdes, Palmira

Estate: Canas Verdes

Variety: Green Tip Geisha

Geisha Varieties: Green Tip Geisha and Bronze Tip Geisha. Green Tip Geisha is characterized by floral aromatics and strong acidity and sweetness. By contrast, Bronze Tip Geisha emphasizes body and sweetness with less noticeable acidity.

El Velo Farm

El Velo Farm was acquired by La Esmeralda Estate in 2012 and is the newest farm in the estate. El Velo Farm often processes micro-batch coffee beans and sells them in small quantities through direct trade.

For example, coffee cherries from Prueba 4 were harvested from the Burton plot of El Velo Farm. This batch underwent titanium dioxide immersion processing. First, mature red cherries are pulped, then the pulped cherries are placed in a sealed container filled with titanium dioxide for 62 hours. Afterward, the cherries are dried on a concrete patio for 32 hours (still with mucilage remaining, so it is honey processed), with the patio temperature controlled between 17°C and 24°C. Prueba 4 is a special innovative batch from La Esmeralda Estate's special reserve plots.

Processing Method Introduction

This Red Label uses yeast processing. From any perspective, adding yeast during fermentation is a bold approach.

According to estate manager Rachel Peterson, this yeast fermentation method is La Esmeralda Estate's attempt to observe how Geisha coffee performs when fermented with yeast inoculation.

Processing process: fully mature red fruits are hand-picked, undersized beans are screened out, and after water flotation selection they are soaked in clean water for approximately 48 hours with yeast added, followed by sun drying. They are spread 1-2 layers thick on drying beds for 4 days of sun exposure, with average temperatures of 16°C to 23°C by day and 10°C to 15°C at night, completing a distinctly unique flavor profile.

After cup-testing this yeast-processed Red Label, we were delighted to find that the method enhanced Geisha coffee's performance in every respect, including aroma, body, acidity, and aftertaste, and it is very different from natural processed Geisha. Overall it is closer to anaerobic fermentation. Geisha processed this way has excellent aroma and flavor characteristics, smoothing out the harshness and excessive acidity of washed coffee while bringing balance and rich layers, and adding red wine-like flavors.

Green Bean Analysis

Geisha green beans possess a beautiful blue-green color with a jade-like warm texture. They smell of fresh grass, peach, and berry notes, and the unique milky sweetness of oolong tea that most coffee beans lack. Aroma and flavor seem to require associative thinking, but the faint tea aroma is clearly perceptible to us.

Roasting Analysis

How should one roast Geisha beans?

To fully express the character of Geisha, special attention must be paid to roasting. Geisha is generally grown at high altitudes above 1500 meters. We have beans from 1700 meters: hard, high-density beans that are full in form, medium in size, thick and long with pointed ends.

To highlight the characteristics and aromatics of these beans, light roasting is preferred, as it better expresses the beans' inherent qualities. Too dark a roast would damage the floral aromas and fruit acidity. This should also be adjusted based on the coffee's characteristics and the roaster's understanding of the beans.

Personal experience: during roasting, pay attention that the Geisha roasting curve should not be too long, or the flavors become dull. After first crack, the temperature rise should not be too great. Geisha beans have pointed ends that easily develop black spots, so a temperature rise below 6°C is better. Light roasting better reveals the tea-rose aroma.

Roasting Analysis (Detailed)

Roasting machine: Yangjia 600g semi-direct flame

Preheat to 170°C, load the drum, damper at 3. After 30 seconds, adjust heat to 140°C, damper unchanged. Return to temperature at 1'27", adjust heat to 120°C when the beans turn yellow and the grass aroma completely disappears and dehydration is complete. Adjust heat to 100°C and damper to 4.

At 7'40", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface and the toast aroma distinctly changes to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. Listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'05", first crack begins; reduce heat to 90°C and adjust the damper to 4 (heat adjustment must be very careful, not so low that cracking stops). Develop for 1'28" after first crack, then drop at 188°C.

Cupping results: refined, soft acidity on entry, with sweetness appearing quickly on the tongue and lasting a long time. A clean, bright mouthfeel like black tea. Aromas of roses, honeysuckle, sweet potato, grapefruit, lemon, black tea, and cane sugar with clear layering and a long aftertaste.

Brewing Recommendations

Recommended brewing method: Pour-over

Grind size: 3.5 (Fuji R440 Japan)

Water temperature: 91-92°C

Cake filter dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 91°C, grind 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

35g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Segmented pour: pour water to 100ml, pause, then slowly pour to 225ml

That is, 30-100-95

So everyone thinks Geisha is expensive...

This year's Red Label Geisha is reasonably priced. In 2018, La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha auctioned for $340 per pound, while other auction Geishas ranged from $80-100 per pound. The annual 2018 Red Label Geisha auction results are out, and first place came in at $340 per pound. Geisha's extremely low production is just one excuse for its high price; the truly captivating reason for Geisha's exceptional value is its unique, alluring flavor. At FrontStreet Coffee in Guangzhou, we obtained 3kg of Red Label Natural Geisha and yeast-processed Red Label Geisha this year. A cup of Red Label Natural Geisha costs 75 yuan per cup, which is quite affordable. Limited quantity.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Esmeralda's own grading makes the range surprisingly easy to navigate. FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label, properly named Esmeralda Special, grows at 1,600-1,800 meters and must cup at over 90 points. Every lot carries its own number and is drawn from a single small plot, such as the Jaramillo plot, so buyers can choose the fine flavor variation they prefer.

The Green Label, or Private Collection, blends several plots rather than stressing individual ones, and its friendlier price makes it strong value while still showing the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha character. For an entry into the style, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha is grown at 1,600 meters and delivers the classic orange-blossom honey character with an oolong-tea feel and soft fruit sweetness.

Ethiopia, Geisha's birthplace, offers a different expression: FrontStreet Coffee's Granada Estate Gesha is a rare single-variety farm selection from a 700-hectare plot near the Kochere and Genlana Abaya border, hand-picked and dried on raised beds for 14-20 days. Roasted medium-light, it shows bright citrus acidity, elegant ginger-flower aroma, ripe-fruit sweetness, and the variety's refined finish. Geisha is floral and fruit-forward and tends to sink and clog the dripper, so FrontStreet Coffee suggests a grind of about fine granulated sugar (about 78% passing a China #20 sieve) and 91°C water, using 15g in a small Hario V60 at a 1:16 ratio and a three-stage pour: 30g for a 30-second bloom, then to 125g, then to 225g, finishing at about 2 minutes 10 seconds to 2 minutes 20 seconds.