The Mysterious Origins of Geisha Coffee Beans_Flavor Characteristics of Geisha Village Geisha Coffee Beans_Geisha Coffee Price

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Are Geisha Coffee Beans Actually an Ethiopian Native Variety?

Geisha is a derivative variety of the Typica family, exported from Ethiopia's Geisha Mountain in 1931 (Geisha sounds the same as the Japanese word "geisha"). It remained obscure in many countries until being transplanted to Panama in the 1960s, where it began frequently winning cupping competitions starting in 2005.

The Documentary Director's Coffee Journey

Adam Overton is an American documentary director. In 2007, he was commissioned to film a documentary about Ethiopian coffee. During filming in Ethiopia, he met Rachel Samuel, an Ethiopian professional photographer. They fell in love and married through their daily work collaboration.

While filming the coffee documentary, they learned about Ethiopian coffee production and fell in love with coffee, developing the idea of buying a coffee farm. Especially with the global coffee market's enthusiasm for Geisha variety coffee in Panama, they had a vague dream of buying a farm in Ethiopia to grow the world's most expensive and delicious coffee—Geisha.

Learning from the Experts

Adam Overton had absolutely no coffee growing experience but was determined to learn and find resources. In 2009, the couple met Willem Boot, an American from whom they wanted to learn Geisha coffee cultivation techniques. Willem had purchased La Mula hacienda in 2006, and five years later, this small hacienda shone brightly in the "Best of Panama" coffee competition.

After Geisha variety coffee appeared in Panama in 2004, Willem had been searching for the ideal native Geisha variety from Ethiopia's vast primeval forests, venturing into unexplored territories and organizing several expeditions to collect many varieties from different producing regions. He planted numerous varieties in his Panama hacienda and became a very dedicated Geisha coffee cultivation expert.

Establishing Gesha Village Coffee Estate

After learning from Willem Boot, Adam Overton and his wife made a major turning point in their Geisha coffee cultivation dream—to have their very own Geisha coffee estate. They lived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, and naturally wanted to find a nearby location for planting that would be close to home and convenient for transportation.

However, finding a large area of land suitable for Geisha cultivation with good conditions like altitude, microclimate, and irrigation was indeed challenging. They finally decided to settle in Ethiopia's most remote southwestern region, the Bench Maji production area bordering Sudan. This area requires a two-day drive from the capital Addis Ababa. Nearby are several small villages called "Gesha," so the local Meanit indigenous people believe this is the birthplace of Geisha coffee beans.

Adam Overton and his wife chose a piece of land with an average altitude of 1,900 to 2,100 meters, abundant rainfall, and fertile, undeveloped primary forest land, naming it Gesha Village Coffee Estate.

Success and Recognition

They began planting in 2011 and confirmed in February 2012 with Willem Boot their decision to plant Geisha varieties on the estate. The first harvest was in 2015. The estate now covers 475 hectares, with 321 hectares planted with coffee, cultivating three Geisha varieties: Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor Forest.

With nervous anticipation, the couple brought their first batch of processed Geisha green beans to meet Willem for cupping. The cupping results revealed it was the best coffee Willem had cupped throughout 2015. The second year's harvest in 2016 was not large in quantity. This year (2017), following current trends, they opened online international bidding, similar to how Panamanian Geisha coffee operates.

Returning to the Roots

In 1931, the first native Geisha was taken from Ethiopia, where it flourished in the foreign land of Panama, gaining worldwide fame. Today, 86 years later, an American documentary director with a Geisha dream has reestablished the homeland of this Geisha variety. We coffee enthusiasts now have the opportunity to taste native Geisha varieties that have been carefully nurtured, scientifically managed, and strictly quality-controlled—authentic Ethiopian Geisha.

Geisha Coffee Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama La Esmeralda Estate - Blue Label Geisha coffee beans offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money—each 100-gram package costs only 120 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 6 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 20 yuan. Compared to café prices that often exceed 100 yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. Online shop services are also available at https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473