What is the Best Pour-Over Concentration for Panama Aurora Estate Ironman Geisha Coffee_Ironman Geisha Roast Analysis

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Panama Aurora Ironman Estate Geisha Auromar Camilina Gesha

2016 Panama Natural Process Category NO.1

Variety: Geisha

Estate Story Introduction:

The Ironman Geisha is the nickname for Panama's Auromar Geisha, used for auction lots sold during the Best of Panama competition. Since 2006, Auromar S.A. has been dedicated to producing high-quality, premium SHB coffee beans. Currently, this project specializes almost exclusively in Geisha cultivation, with a small portion dedicated to producing high-quality Caturra coffee beans.

[Note: Caturra is a dwarf mutation of the Bourbon variety that produces excellent quality.]

Auromar Estate is located in the northwestern corner of Chiriqui Province, Panama, in the Candela region, just 2 kilometers from Costa Rica. Of the 31-hectare area, 16 hectares consist of pristine highland rainforest, situated at the farm's highest point with elevations ranging from 1,700 to 1,775 meters. The remaining 15 hectares, with elevations between 1,485 and 1,700 meters, are dedicated exclusively to coffee production. The average elevation is 1,625 meters, with average annual temperatures ranging from 16 to 25 degrees Celsius and average rainfall of approximately 3,500 millimeters.

Currently, 9 hectares are under coffee cultivation, with plans to expand to 15 hectares within the next two years. The plantation employs semi-shade cultivation, with tree species native to the local area, including some high-altitude Hass avocado trees. During the 2012-2013 harvest season, the estate produced 1,700 pounds of Geisha and 1,600 pounds of Caturra, all sold to international buyers. In 2013, Auromar's Ironman Geisha also won the BOP competition in the washed Geisha category.

Estate owner Roberto Brenes is a true coffee enthusiast whose primary profession is CEO of the Panama Stock Exchange. In his earlier years, he earned an MBA from Columbia University in the United States, returned to Panama, and later gained experience in South America before returning again to Panama work. Roberto's rich experience and passion are reflected in the coffee he grows. In earlier years, the estate was exclusively planted with Geisha varieties. Starting this year, the owner has begun experimenting with many different new varieties and processing methods, such as washed Catuai and natural Catuai.

The coffee estate was originally intended as Roberto's retirement plan for his family. However, his insistence on coffee quality earned him the honor of first place in the 2013 BOP washed Geisha category. Roberto is an avid triathlon enthusiast and named this batch "Ironman" after the spirit of the sport. The Geisha portion totaled 1,700 pounds, of which 150 pounds were selected for competition. The final auction price reached an astonishing $160.25 per pound, setting a new record high. In 2014 and 2015, Auromar also achieved impressive results, placing 10th and 12th respectively in the Best of Panama (BOP) natural Geisha category, with auction prices exceeding $30, demonstrating their extraordinary strength. Aurora Estate has won countless awards. In September 2014, their Panama Ironman Camilina Geisha was rated 97 points by Coffee Review, the highest score of that year. The batch was named after the estate owner's beloved granddaughter, with flavor notes indicating the coffee is full of mango, citrus, guava, intense floral notes, passion fruit, clove, lily, rich and smooth fruit acidity, syrupy and lively texture, with complex and persistent flavors.

Coffee Bean Variety Introduction

The coffee bean variety "Geisha" is an original species within the Arabica family. It is extremely difficult to cultivate, with yields only half that of other coffee beans, making it a rare and highly valued coffee variety.

Geisha Historical Timeline:

1931: A group of botanists conducted an expedition in southwestern Ethiopia and discovered the Geisha variety near the village of Geisha. They brought Geisha seeds to Kenya, where they were planted and grown in nurseries.

1936: Geisha seeds were introduced to Uganda and Tanzania.

1953: Costa Rica's research institution CATIE obtained some Geisha seeds from Tanzania for research purposes.

1960: Pachi Serracin, the former owner of Panama's Don Pachi Estate, brought Geisha from Costa Rica to Panama.

2004: At the Best of Panama (BOP) competition, Hacienda La Esmeralda made a spectacular showing with Geisha, taking first place that year. For the next decade, whenever they participated, they won major awards.

2007: At the International Specialty Coffee Association (SCAA) sponsored international cupping competition, Geisha once again won the championship, with an auction price of $130 per pound, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for competition beans.

2008: Hacienda La Esmeralda held its own independent auction (they did not participate in BOP that year).

2012: The Best of Panama (BOP) competition was divided into traditional, Geisha, and natural process categories to prevent Geisha from dominating all categories.

2014: The Best of Panama (BOP) competition was further subdivided into natural Geisha, washed Geisha, traditional natural, and traditional washed categories, as Geisha was still dominating the natural process category.

2015: The Best of Panama (BOP) competition was divided into winners' natural, winners' washed, traditional natural, and traditional washed categories, allowing another excellent variety, Pacamara, to join the competition. However, the results were disappointing, with only one of 32 lots making it to the finals.

Auction Price History:

2005: Best of Panama (BOP): $20.10 (first lot)

2006: Best of Panama (BOP): $50.25 (first lot)

2007: Best of Panama (BOP): $130 (first lot)

2008: La Esmeralda auction: $105.25

2009: La Esmeralda auction: $117

2010: Best of Panama (BOP): $170

2011: Best of Panama (BOP): $75.25 (first place in washed category), with the natural category going to Don Pachi Geisha ($111.50)

2012: La Esmeralda auction: $66 (did not participate in BOP that year)

2013: Best of Panama (BOP): $350 (first place in natural Geisha category, purchased by Japan)

2014: La Esmeralda auction: $105.50 (this lot had defects last year)

2015: La Esmeralda auction: $131 (third natural lot) / $122.01 (first natural lot)

2015: Best of Panama (BOP): $140.01 (natural Geisha champion)

Processing Method: Natural Process, 2016 BOP NO.1 batch

Processing Method Introduction:

Natural Process (Dry Process)

The natural process is the oldest and most original coffee processing method. Compared to the washed process, coffee processed this way is called "natural coffee" or "sun-dried coffee." The harvested coffee cherries are directly exposed to sunlight for about two to four weeks. This method is typically used in countries with distinct wet and dry seasons.

Natural Process - Processing Steps:

1. Harvest ripe coffee cherries

2. Initial sorting to remove impurities and defective beans

3. Floatation screening: Coffee cherries are poured into water tanks. Ripe, full cherries will sink to the bottom, while unripe or damaged cherries will float to the surface.

4. Sun drying

The ripe coffee cherries that sank to the bottom are scooped out and spread on drying patios for sun drying, reducing moisture content from 70% to about 10-12%. They must be turned several times daily to ensure even drying, and covered at night to prevent moisture absorption.

5. Hulling: After about two to four weeks of sun exposure, the outer layers of the coffee seeds become dry and hard. At this point, hulling machines are used to remove the outer layers.

6. Packaging and shipping

The hulled coffee beans are bagged, becoming what we commonly call green coffee beans. Finally, through different roasting processes and brewing variations, they can present the countless flavor variations of coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations/Analysis

Geisha, as the most outstanding variety among numerous coffee cultivars, is beloved by coffee enthusiasts. Among these, washed processed Geisha best highlights the variety's inherent flavor characteristics. What makes Geisha special is its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavors, extremely high clarity, soft and elegant acidity, persistent cotton-like sweetness, and premium black tea mouthfeel.

To fully reveal these characteristics, careful attention must be paid to roasting. Geisha is typically grown at high altitudes above 1,500 meters, resulting in beans with high hardness and density. The beans are full-bodied, medium-sized, thick and long, with pointed ends.

So how can we express Geisha's unique flavors through roasting?

The roasting approach involves using high heat initially for dehydration due to the beans' high hardness and density, quickly establishing a temperature difference between the bean surface and core. To enhance floral notes, the Maillard reaction time needs to be relatively short, so after the beans turn yellow, the heat is adjusted to medium-high to quickly bring the beans into first crack. Shortening the time from yellowing to first crack also increases clarity. If the temperature rises too quickly after first crack, it will intensify caramelization, masking floral and fruity aromas. Therefore, as first crack approaches, the heat is significantly reduced to slow the temperature rise, and the air damper is fully opened at the start of first crack. The beans are dropped when the first crack activity subsides, allowing the core to develop maturity while preserving maximum aroma and sugars.

Cupping Flavor Description

Flavor: Citrus, Arkansas black apple, starfruit, loquat, magnolia, raspberry, cocoa powder, burro banana, hibiscus, blackcurrant, sorghum wood, guava, loquat, Anjou pear, coffee cherry, passion fruit, and persimmon

Geisha Coffee Brewing Analysis

Today, we introduce FrontStreet Coffee's commonly used method for pour-over Geisha coffee: the three-stage method.

Three-Stage Pouring Method

Segmented extraction, dividing one portion of water into three injections

Suitable for light roast, medium-light roast, and medium roast coffee beans

Uses Kalita wave filter (flat-bottom)

Increase bloom time or number of pour interruptions to enhance coffee body richness

Three-Stage Pouring Segmented Extraction Method:

Advantages: More layered than single continuous pour, clearly revealing the front, middle, and back-end flavors. The method involves increasing water volume after each bloom, typically pouring when the coffee liquid level drops to near the coffee bed surface, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction.

Disadvantages: Higher requirements for water flow rate and volume control.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Pour-Over Parameter Recommendations:

The wave filter uses immersion extraction, increasing the contact surface area between coffee grounds and water, which can improve body compared to V60 brewing, resulting in a more viscous mouthfeel.

15g of coffee, water temperature 91-92°C, grind size BG 5R (Chinese standard 20-mesh sieve pass rate 64%), water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15-16

Technique: 27g of water for bloom, bloom time 30s. Pour hot water from the gooseneck kettle in clockwise circles starting from the center of the filter. Start timing when brewing begins, pour to 27g, then stop pouring and wait 30 seconds before the first pour.

For the first pour, use circular motions like before, but the speed can be slightly slower, increasing speed slightly when reaching the outer circles. Stop pouring at around 1:15 seconds. When the liquid level drops by 1/3, pour again. The second pour should be concentrated in the center, avoiding the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling. End extraction around 2:05 seconds. The tail end can be excluded (the longer the extraction time, the more astringency and rough texture will increase).

Segments: 30-125-230g

Important Notice :

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