How Much Water to Pour for Panama Benjamin Estate No.2 Geisha Pour-Over Coffee_How to Drink Benjamin Geisha

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Introduction to Benjamin Estate Geisha Coffee

Benjamin Estate No. 2 Geisha Coffee comes from the Bajo Mono plantation in Panama. The Bajo Mono plantation is renowned as one of the best special microclimate regions, where high-quality coffee trees grow in premium volcanic soil with clear springs, making it a world-famous producer of premium coffee beans.

Benjamin Estate Background Information

Panama Don Benjie Estate, located in the northern part of Boquete city, Panama's most famous coffee-growing region, comes from the beautiful coffee plantation Hacienda Bajo Mono on the slopes of Barú volcano, one of the highest volcanoes in Central America. The variety is Typica, planted at an altitude of 1500 meters.

Coffee Bean Variety Introduction

Geisha coffee beans, also known as Gesha coffee or Geisha beans, are all the same variety of coffee bean. Its name comes from Geisha Mountain in Ethiopia, pronounced similarly to the famous Japanese Geisha, hence the name.

Geisha coffee beans have an extraordinary legend... This variety actually originates from southwestern Ethiopia. In 1963, Don Pachi Serracin introduced Geisha coffee trees from Costa Rica to Panama. Due to low yields directly affecting harvest quantities, coffee farmers had little interest in planting them. It wasn't until Daniel Peterson, the owner of Panama La Esmeralda, accidentally discovered that the coffee beans produced by these Geisha coffee trees—originally used as windbreaks at the highest point of his coffee estate—had the characteristic citrus and floral aromas of African beans. After separating these coffee beans and entering them in the 2004 Panama Cupping Competition where they shot to fame, Geisha beans have been unstoppable ever since, winning consecutive Panama Cupping Competition championships for many years. In the eyes of specialty coffee enthusiasts worldwide today, Geisha coffee beans are undoubtedly the supreme treasure.

Hacienda plantation is located next to the source of the Caldera River in the Bajo Mono canyon, with an altitude ranging from 1400 to 1550 meters. Bajo Mono is one of the best regions for producing premium coffee because the area has volcanic soil, clear springs and fountains, and a famous climate phenomenon known locally as "Bajareque"—when Pacific and Atlantic moisture meets, wind creates thin mist rising between the mountains, and rainbows are often visible. All these elements form a unique microclimate, allowing coffee trees in the region to grow in a better environment and produce higher quality.

Hacienda Plantation History

Looking back at the history of Hacienda plantation, we can see a consistent emphasis on environmental protection and ecology. Initially owned by American Ms. Archer, one of Boquete's pioneers. In the 1980s, Dr. Renan Esquivel went through considerable effort to acquire the plantation. He was a very famous Panamanian pediatrician and also a nature enthusiast who planted many exotic trees, plants, and coffee varieties. The current owner is Stefan Arwed Müller, who has been operating Hacienda plantation since 2011, dedicated to further improving coffee bean quality while protecting the ecological environment of the plantation area. The coffee beans produced are named Café Don Benjie.

Processing Method Introduction

Washed Process

In response to the shortcomings of traditional natural processing, the washed method was developed. First, harvested cherries are passed through a depulping machine to separate most of the pulp from the coffee beans, then guided to a clean water tank where they soak and ferment to thoroughly remove the remaining pulp layer. After fermentation is complete, they are dried either by sun or using mechanical methods to reduce moisture content to 12%. Since the washed process removes the pulp first, during the drying process, there's no need to worry about mold or insect damage problems as with natural processing.

(↑ Depulping machine removing pulp) (↑ Soaking in water for fermentation) (↑ Spread flat for drying)

Natural processed beans have rich and full flavors with very distinct and diverse layers, while washed processed beans have very clean and refreshing taste characteristics with distinct fruit acidity. Different processing methods give coffee beans their unique aromatic profiles.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Suggestions/Analysis

Geisha, as the most outstanding variety among numerous coffee varieties, is greatly loved by coffee enthusiasts. Among these, washed processed Geisha best highlights the inherent flavor characteristics of Geisha itself. The special quality of Geisha lies in its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavors, extremely high cleanliness, soft and elegant acidity, lasting cotton-like sweetness, and premium black tea mouthfeel.

To fully reveal these characteristics, considerable effort must be put into roasting. Geisha is generally grown at high altitudes above 1500 meters, making it a high-hardness, high-density bean. Its form is full, medium-sized, with thick and elongated beans tapering at both ends.

How to Express Geisha Coffee's Unique Flavors Through Roasting

The roasting approach considers that due to the bean's high hardness and density, high heat is used initially for dehydration, quickly establishing a temperature difference between the bean surface and core. For more floral aroma, the Maillard reaction time needs to be relatively short, so after yellowing, the heat is adjusted to medium-high to quickly bring the beans into first crack, shortening the time from yellowing to first crack can also increase cleanliness. If temperature rises too quickly after first crack, it will intensify caramelization, masking floral and fruit aromas, so when approaching first crack, the heat is significantly reduced to slow the temperature rise, with the air valve fully open at first crack. The beans are dropped when the first crack becomes dense, allowing the bean core to develop maturity while retaining maximum aroma and sugar content.

Cupping Flavor Description

Flavor description: Jasmine, gardenia, sweet orange, lemon, clean.

Brewing Analysis

Today, FrontStreet Coffee introduces commonly used methods for pour-over Geisha coffee: Three-stage method.

Three-Stage Pouring Method

Segmented extraction, dividing one portion of water into three stages of pouring.

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

Using Kalita cake filter cup.

Increase bloom time or water breaks to enhance coffee richness and intensity.

Three-Stage Water Pouring Segmented Extraction Method

Advantages: More layered than single-pour method, can clearly distinguish front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee. The method involves increasing water amount after each bloom stage, typically pouring when the coffee liquid is about to drop to the powder layer surface, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction.

Disadvantages: Higher requirements for water flow rate and volume.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Pour-Over Parameter Recommendations

Cake filter cup uses immersion extraction, increasing the contact surface area between coffee grounds and water. Compared to V60 brewing, it can enhance texture, making it taste more viscous.

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

Method: 27g water for bloom, bloom time 30s. Hot water from the pour-over kettle circles clockwise centered on the middle of the filter cup. Start timing when brewing begins, pour water to 27g, then stop pouring, wait 30 seconds for the first pour.

For the first pour, circle similarly to before, speed can be slightly slower, increase speed a bit when reaching the outer circle, stop water at around 1:15 seconds. When the liquid level drops by 1/3, pour again. The second pour concentrates on the center, avoiding water hitting the connection between coffee grounds and filter paper to prevent channeling effects. End extraction around 2:05 seconds. The tail end can be omitted (the longer the time, the more astringency and roughness will increase).

Segments: 30-125-230g

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473