Panama Morgan Estate Carbon Dioxide Washed Geisha Pour-over Demonstration_Ideal Temperature for Geisha Pour-over

Panama Morgan Estate Carbon Dioxide Washed Geisha Coffee

Origin: Panama

Estate: Morgan Estate

Region: Volcan Chiriqui

Altitude: 1700-1850m

Processing Method: Carbon Dioxide Maceration

The Story of Morgan Estate

There are many high-quality estates in Panama that grow Geisha coffee. Today we would like to briefly introduce one of them—Morgan Estate.

Morgan Estate is located in the high-altitude region of Volcan, Chiriqui Province, Panama. The estate covers 12 hectares and is planted with Arabica Geisha coffee trees.

Morgan Estate has been engaged in coffee cultivation for 8 years, providing a good growing environment for coffee trees and taking meticulous care of them. Morgan Estate is an award-winning producer of high-altitude Geisha coffee.

The estate owner, Jamison Savage, places great importance on coffee processing methods, believing that the processing method is a very important factor in determining the quality of coffee beans. Therefore, they ensure that each batch of coffee beans is processed according to strict standards to achieve high-quality competition standards.

Geisha Coffee Processing Methods

Morgan Estate uses three processing methods for their Geisha coffee: natural/dry, washed, and carbon dioxide washed (in collaboration with Sasa Sestic).

Morgan Estate's washed Geisha undergoes mechanical pulp removal, then the coffee beans are placed on a 3-tier coffee drying bed designed by Jamison. First, the beans are placed on the top tier to remove both internal surface moisture and external moisture; then they are moved to the middle tier for shade drying, where they stay the longest; finally, they are placed on the bottom tier to continue drying in cool shade, where the temperature is lowest. Throughout the drying process, standardized procedures require orderly operation of the coffee drying beds while closely monitoring the moisture changes. When the coffee's moisture content drops to 10.5%-11%, the coffee beans can be placed in grain bags and stored in a dry, cool, and dark warehouse. After 90 days, the coffee beans undergo hulling, are sorted by density and shape, and defective beans are removed.

Morgan Estate is situated at an altitude of 1700-1780 meters in an isolated, lush valley where a river flows through, century-old trees stand on both sides, waterfalls cascade down steep stone cliffs, and rainbows appear where sunlight meets dusk. Animals move nimbly through the valley. Through the mist, Geisha coffee trees can be seen growing on steep slopes.

The Morgan family has lived in Volcan, Chiriqui for generations, managing this estate for 25 years and planting the first Geisha trees 6 years ago. They have carefully crafted the estate, planting beautiful flowers everywhere and specially building exquisite Alpine-style cabins.

About Geisha Coffee Beans

Geisha coffee beans, also known as Geisha coffee or Geisha beans, are all the same type of coffee bean. The 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 coffee variety actually originates from southwestern Ethiopia. In 1963, Don Pachi Serracin introduced Geisha coffee trees from Costa Rica to Panama. Due to low yields, which directly affected harvest quantities, coffee farmers had little interest in growing them. It wasn't until Daniel Peterson, owner of Panama La Esmeralda estate, accidentally discovered that the coffee beans produced by these Geisha trees, originally planted as windbreaks at the highest point of his coffee estate, had the distinctive citrus and floral notes characteristic of African coffees. After separating these beans and entering them in the 2004 Panama Cupping Competition, they became an overnight sensation. Since then, Geisha beans have been unstoppable, winning the Panama Cupping Competition championship for consecutive years. In the eyes of specialty coffee enthusiasts worldwide today, Geisha coffee beans are undoubtedly the supreme treasure.

Carbon Dioxide Washed Processing Method

1. Coffee cherry skin and pulp are removed in stainless steel fermentation tanks. The use of double-layer insulated stainless steel creates a clean taste, and the fermentation tanks can be moved between fermentation rooms with different temperatures.

2. The fermentation tanks are moved indoors where temperature can be more easily controlled. More influencing factors can be understood through data collection. (If more complex acidity is desired, fermentation needs to occur at low temperatures between 4-8°C. To enhance sweetness, temperature should be controlled at 18-20°C.)

3. The fermentation is covered and sealed. This allows for the development of more aromatic compounds, resulting in more floral notes in the coffee.

4. Carbon dioxide is injected—this is the decisive step. Injecting carbon dioxide creates an anaerobic environment inside the tank, significantly slowing down the decomposition of coffee mucilage. The rate of pH decrease slows, meaning relatively fewer alcohols and acids are produced.

5. Carbon dioxide extends the fermentation process to 3 days at a fermentation temperature of 22°C. Even with longer fermentation time and lower fermentation temperature, no astringent taste is produced.

Last year, Sasa tasted excellent coffee at Morgan Estate in Panama. To enhance its sweetness and aroma, he decided to try carbon dioxide maceration, setting the fermentation temperature at 20°C for 65 hours, which increased sweetness and made the flavors more complex and unique.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations/Analysis

Geisha, as the most outstanding variety among many coffee varieties, is very popular among coffee lovers. Among these, washed Geisha best highlights the flavor characteristics of Geisha itself. What makes Geisha special is its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavors, extremely high clarity, soft and elegant acidity, lasting cotton-like sweetness, and the mouthfeel of premium black tea.

To fully reveal these characteristics, significant effort must be put into roasting. Geisha is generally grown at high altitudes above 1500 meters, resulting in beans with high hardness and density. Its form is full, with medium-sized beans that are thick and elongated, tapering at both ends.

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

The roasting approach is as follows: due to the beans' high hardness and density, high heat is used initially for dehydration, quickly establishing a temperature difference between the bean surface and core. To maximize floral notes, 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 the start of first crack also increases clarity. If the temperature rises too quickly after first crack, it will intensify caramelization and mask floral and fruit aromas, so the heat is significantly reduced just before entering first crack to slow the temperature rise, with the damper fully open at the start of first crack. The beans are dropped when the first crack becomes dense, allowing the core to develop fully while retaining maximum aroma and sugars.

Cupping Flavor Description

Flavor description: The special carbon dioxide processing method enhances the overall flavor and refines the original fruit acidity, with sweet fruit aromas and prominent tropical fruit flavors such as watermelon, strawberry, blueberry, cantaloupe, passion fruit, and papaya, with slight acidity and a long-lasting aftertaste.

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 pour of water into three stages.

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

Using a Kalita wave filter.

Increase bloom time or number of pour interruptions to enhance the richness of the coffee's texture.

Three-Stage Pouring Segmented Extraction Method

Advantages: More layered than single pour, can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back flavor notes of the coffee. The method involves increasing water amount after each bloom, 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: Requires higher control over water flow rate and volume.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Pour-Over Parameter Recommendations

The wave filter uses immersion extraction, increasing the contact surface area between coffee grounds and water. Compared to V60 brewing, it can improve texture and result in a thicker 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.

Method: Bloom with 27g of water for 30 seconds. The hot water from the pour-over kettle is poured in clockwise circles centered on the middle 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, continue pouring in circles like before, but slightly slower, and increase speed slightly when reaching the outer circle. Stop pouring at around 1:15 seconds, wait for the liquid level to drop by 1/3, then pour again. The second pour focuses on the center, avoiding hitting the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channeling effects. End extraction at around 2:05 seconds. The tail section can be discarded (the longer it takes, the more astringency and rough texture will increase).

Segments: 30-125-230g

Important Notice :

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