Flavor Characteristics of Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Red, Green, and Blue Label Coffee Beans - What Do Green and Red Labels Mean?

Geisha coffee from Panama's La Esmeralda Estate is undoubtedly one of the top-tier estates in the specialty coffee world, known throughout the coffee industry. FrontStreet Coffee believes that whether it's their identity as the discoverer and promoter of Geisha flavor or their numerous record-breaking auction achievements, these factors have contributed to La Esmeralda's current success. Despite the exceptional quality of La Esmeralda's Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee does not recommend that newcomers to coffee immediately try Geisha beans from La Esmeralda. This is precisely because they are too good - after tasting them, other coffees may seem rather ordinary in comparison. FrontStreet Coffee considers this unfavorable for developing coffee flavor cognition.

With the vast variety of coffee varieties worldwide, starting with the most popular options is by no means mediocre. FrontStreet Coffee believes the most important thing is to establish your own flavor recognition system, which will be helpful as you gradually explore the path of coffee. However, many people find it confusing to distinguish between the different Geisha brands from La Esmeralda Estate. FrontStreet Coffee will focus primarily on the Green Label Geisha to explain La Esmeralda's grading system.

Panama La Esmeralda

After participating in the 2004 Panama Coffee Cupping Competition and achieving overnight fame, they won the Panama Coffee Cupping Competition for multiple consecutive years.

In 1964, Swedish-American financier Rudolph A. Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased La Esmeralda Estate in Boquete, focusing primarily on dairy farming. Having previously served as President of Bank of America, he was a major figure in the financial world at the time. Rudolph bought Hacienda La Esmeralda mainly for vacation and later retirement use - he probably didn't anticipate that this estate would become world-famous and even become representative of Panama's specialty coffee estates.

In 1973, his son Price Peterson earned a Ph.D. in Neurochemistry in the United States but returned to Boquete to assist his father in managing the farm. After Price took over, he segmented the market into three major brands based on altitude and microclimate, as well as cupping performance and planted varieties: Esmeralda Special, Diamond Mountain Grows, and Palmyra. In 2012, Geisha was added as a fourth brand.

La Esmeralda Estate includes 4 farms: Canas Verdes, El Velo, Jaramillo, and Palmira. All coffee beans are sent to post-processing facilities at these 4 farms. The Peterson family, the estate owners, first purchased the Palmira farm. According to FrontStreet Coffee's latest information, La Esmeralda Estate acquired a new estate in 2022, named "Spring Estate," which has higher altitude and will be used for growing Geisha coffee beans.

Differences Between La Esmeralda's Red, Green, and Blue Labels

After years of experimentation, La Esmeralda Estate discovered that only Geisha beans harvested from coffee trees growing at altitudes above 1,400 meters can display the characteristic special flavors of Geisha. Therefore, the main grading is primarily based on planting height, supplemented by actual cupping results, to categorize Geisha beans into red, green, and blue grades.

Red Label

Esmeralda Special's single-estate Geisha is what we commonly know as Red Label. Selected from Geisha coffee beans grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, produced from Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo.

Red Label consists of Geisha batches from designated plots that are auctioned at La Esmeralda Estate's independent auctions. However, there are also non-auction Red Labels on the market today - these are actually Geisha beans from the same plots that were not submitted for auction and instead circulated on the market. There are only subtle differences in quality between auction and non-auction beans, but it cannot be guaranteed that auction beans taste better than non-auction ones.

Because some merchants sell non-auction Red Label beans to consumers with auction Red Label labels - after all, auction prices are significantly higher than non-auction ones. FrontStreet Coffee has received exclusive information that La Esmeralda Estate recognizes the difficulty in distinguishing between auction and non-auction Red Labels and will implement clearer differentiation.

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's bean shelf features a non-auction Red Label Geisha from La Esmeralda Estate, processed using the slow natural method. FrontStreet Coffee's La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha comes from the Mario plot in the Jaramillo farm. Jaramillo is the "discovery site" of Geisha flavor, and Geisha from the Mario plot has also distinguished itself in many auctions over the years.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: La Esmeralda
Plot: Mario
Altitude: 1700+ meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing Method: Slow Natural

The slow natural processing method gives FrontStreet Coffee's Mario plot Red Label Geisha excellent acidity and prominent sweetness, with rich fruit flavors and white floral aromas. The flavor is more intense, and the mouthfeel is more substantial. After tasting this coffee bean, Frontsteet's baristas couldn't help but exclaim, "It's heavenly!"

Green Label

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, consists of non-auction batches but still Geisha varieties of excellent quality. Selected from Geisha beans grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, these are micro-batch blends from different plots including Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and others.

Because a blending model is used without detailed plot specifications, sometimes Green Label can have very similar flavors to Red Label, but the next batch might have differences.

Although Green Label is not as high-grade as Red Label, it still possesses the classic Geisha flavors: floral aroma, fruit fragrance, citrus acidity, and thick, juicy mouthfeel. FrontStreet Coffee's bean shelf features a washed process Green Label Geisha. Because it's washed processed, it can express La Esmeralda Estate's most basic terroir. Through comparisons between natural and washed processed La Esmeralda Green Labels, FrontStreet Coffee found that compared to natural processing, the washed processed Green Label is overall fresher, more natural, bright, and refreshing - truly a coffee one never tires of drinking. Compared to the natural processed Red Label, it offers a different character. In terms of price, Frontsteet's washed Green Label Geisha offers excellent value.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete
Estate: La Esmeralda
Altitude: 1600-1800 meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing Method: Washed Process

Blue Label

Geisha 1500 is the brand we commonly know as Blue Label Geisha. Selected from blends grown at altitudes of 1400-1500 meters from three different plots: Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo. The flavor has subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, sweetness, with a less thick mouthfeel. Blue Label Geisha was initially only available in washed processing, but in 2020, natural processed Blue Label Geisha was also released. However, in 2021, La Esmeralda Estate discontinued the Blue Label brand.

In the second half of 2021, a Panama Geisha coffee bean named Las Rocas appeared. According to information, this green coffee bean comes from the Boquete region. After FrontStreet Coffee's verification, it was discovered that this coffee bean is actually from La Esmeralda Estate's Blue Label Geisha batch.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Volcanic Rock Geisha Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: La Esmeralda
Altitude: 1500+ meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing Method: Washed Process

For those curious and wanting to try Panama Geisha coffee, this entry-level Geisha coffee bean is perfect for experiencing the charm of Panama Geisha.

How to Brew Panama Geisha Coffee Beans for the Best Taste?

Panama Geisha coffee beans are all specialty grade. To do justice to your precious Panama Geisha, you should naturally do your best to brew a delicious cup. Therefore, many customers at FrontStreet Coffee's stores, holding their newly purchased Geisha coffee beans, ask Frontsteet's baristas how Frontsteet brews Geisha coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing to maximize the rich flavors of the coffee. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee upon delivery. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor.

Here, FrontStreet Coffee will briefly introduce two methods for brewing Geisha coffee. One is extraction using a siphon brewer, and the other is the extraction method commonly used at FrontStreet Coffee's stores. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will use washed Green Label Geisha as an example:

Siphon Brewer

The extraction principle of a siphon brewer is achieved through pressure difference. First, heat the water in the lower chamber to boiling, then insert the upper chamber, creating a high-pressure state in the lower chamber. Due to the pressure difference between the lower and upper chambers, hot water rises to mix with coffee grounds in the upper chamber for extraction.

After the extraction process ends, remove the heat source from the lower chamber, instantly reducing the pressure difference between the lower and upper chambers. The siphon effect between the upper and lower chambers causes the coffee extract to flow back to the lower chamber. To speed up the return of coffee extract, you can wipe the lower chamber with a wet cloth, which further reduces the pressure difference and speeds up the return flow.

Parameters & Technique
Water temperature: 90°C; Grind: 80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve; Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:10; Pour 200g of water into the lower chamber, when water temperature reaches 90°C, add coffee grounds and stir ten times to ensure full contact between grounds and water. Steep for 30 seconds, then stir five times to increase extraction. At 50 seconds, remove heat source and stir. (Timer starts when grounds are added). Total extraction time: 1'12".

Flavor: Floral, citrus, orange peel, peach, tea-like notes, with tea fragrance in the aftertaste. The citrus acidity is quite prominent and balanced in mouthfeel.

V60 Dripper

The design of the V60 dripper focuses on the speed of water level descent, allowing coffee particles to achieve better extraction with faster flow. The internal ribs use a curved vortex structure design to assist in accelerating water flow, extending from the bottom to the top, indicating smooth exhaust effects. The curved ribs increase the water flow path, thereby extending the contact time between coffee particles and water.

Parameters & Technique
Water temperature: 91°C; Grind: 80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve; Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16; Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, pour to 130g in stages. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 240g. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timer starts at bloom). Total extraction time: 2'00".

Regular readers of FrontStreet Coffee's articles might wonder why FrontStreet Coffee usually uses a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio but uses 1:16 when brewing Panama Geisha. With a 1:15 ratio, the coffee flavors become too concentrated, while a 1:16 ratio allows more flavors in the coffee to develop, making pleasant flavors like floral notes clearer and more distinguishable.

Flavor: Floral, orange peel, almond, tea-like notes, with cream fragrance in the finish, noticeable sweet and sour notes.

Through experiments with these two different brewing methods, FrontStreet Coffee believes that if you want a cup of Green Label Geisha with rich flavor layers and refreshing mouthfeel, try brewing with a V60 dripper; if you want a mellow Green Label Geisha, try brewing with a siphon brewer.

When it comes to describing coffee flavor, FrontStreet Coffee believes everyone will have their own interpretation. What FrontStreet Coffee truly wants to do is guide newcomers to specialty coffee in finding a connection between coffee and their palate, developing our sensory perception. This process is like a form of training, a conscious development. When our sensitivity is enhanced, we can then let go of the pursuit of specific flavors and instead use a more open attitude to experience the richness and changes in coffee, more purely feeling the beauty of a cup of coffee.

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