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How to Drink Panama Geisha Coffee? How to Roast Panama Geisha Coffee? What is Geisha Coffee

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style). Geisha: A Typica variety exported from Geisha Mountain in southern Ethiopia in 1931, also known as Geisha bean because Geisha has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for geisha. Multiple countries have attempted to grow it, but it remained obscure until it was transplanted to Panama in 1961. Starting from 2005, Panama Geisha coffee gained international recognition and became one of the most sought-after specialty coffee varieties in the world.

Introduction to Geisha Coffee

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Geisha, a Typica variety exported from Geisha Mountain in southern Ethiopia in 1931, is also known as "Geisha bean" because "Geisha" has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for "geisha." Multiple countries have attempted to cultivate it, but it remained largely unknown until 1961 when it was transplanted to Panama. Starting in 2005, Geisha produced by Panamanian estates has shone brightly, becoming a regular at Cup of Excellence competitions.

Origin and History

Geisha coffee, known as Geisha Coffee in English, acquired the nickname "Geisha Coffee" due to its phonetic similarity to Japan's geisha. However, many baristas dislike this designation, believing that this coffee should not be associated with Japanese geisha impressions. Consequently, more people are using the Chinese name "Geisha," which also sounds more aesthetically pleasing.

Geisha coffee was popularized in Panamanian estates, but its story is that of an foreign prince who successfully became a new king. The Geisha coffee tree variety was discovered in Ethiopia and later reached many African countries such as Uganda and Tanzania through Kenya's coffee research institute, where it remained an unappreciated coffee variety, used only for research purposes.

Later, after someone introduced Geisha to Costa Rica, it was brought to Panama through the connections of Don Pachi Estate. Various estates could see some Geisha trees because they were used as windbreaks for coffee trees—that's right, windbreaks. Additionally, Geisha trees had unstable yields and were often mixed with regular coffee beans, making them not a main coffee project. Until around the year 2000, some estates discovered that Geisha's flavor was exceptionally delicious. Despite their excitement, they weren't sure whether this taste would appeal to discerning coffee enthusiasts.

Roasting and Brewing

To fully reveal Geisha's character, significant effort must be put into roasting. Geisha is generally grown at high altitudes above 1500 meters. FrontStreet Coffee sources beans from 1700m altitude—high-density, hard beans with full shapes, medium-sized particles, thick and elongated bodies, and pointed ends.

FrontStreet Coffee uses light roasting to highlight this bean's characteristics and aroma. This roast level better brings out the bean's inherent qualities, while darker roasting would damage the floral aromas and fruit acidity. Of course, this must also be adjusted according to the coffee bean's characteristics and the roaster's understanding of the bean itself.

FrontStreet Coffee notes that during the roasting process, the Geisha roasting curve should not be too long, otherwise the flavor will become dull. After the first crack, the temperature rise should not be too high. Geisha beans have pointed ends that easily develop black scorch marks, so a temperature rise below 6 degrees would be better. Light roasting better reveals the tea rose aroma.