Is Geisha the Best and Most Expensive Coffee in Panama? Panama Coffee Bean Characteristics and Stories

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Geisha Coffee vs. Blue Mountain Coffee

Speaking of expensive Blue Mountain coffee, did you know that Geisha coffee is even more expensive? Blue Mountain coffee is one of the most aromatic and finest coffees in the world, and also one of the most expensive. So, does Geisha coffee taste better than Blue Mountain coffee? Is that why it's so expensive? FrontStreet Coffee tells everyone:

Actually, it's not that Geisha coffee tastes better than Blue Mountain coffee, but rather that Geisha coffee's variety and flavor profile are completely different. Both coffees are exceptionally delicious. Of course, when general customers come in, FrontStreet Coffee doesn't actively recommend Geisha coffee. Because Geisha coffee should be enjoyed by those who understand coffee. If you start with the best varieties from the beginning, then other coffees will seem rather ordinary. FrontStreet Coffee recommends a progressive tasting approach, which helps build a certain coffee flavor cognition and gradually discover the richness of the coffee world. More importantly, Geisha coffee is expensive! Unless specifically requested by customers.

The Origin of Geisha Coffee

Geisha coffee originates from Ethiopia. Due to its tall growth and low yield, it was used locally as a windbreak tree. It was later discovered and made famous by the owner of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, after which everyone learned about Geisha coffee.

In 1931, it was quietly exported from Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia to Kenya, Tanzania, and Costa Rica. It wasn't until the 1960s that it was transplanted to Panama. After nearly half a century, it suddenly made a spectacular debut, defeating the perennial champions of coffee such as Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica. It swept the gold medals in the Panama Cup of Excellence competitions in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007, at the International Cup of Excellence organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), Geisha won again, with a bidding price of $130 per pound, setting a record for the highest price ever paid for competition beans.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, subsequent Panama Cup of Excellence competitions were divided into Geisha and non-Geisha categories to prevent Geisha from stealing the spotlight from other varieties.

Panama Boquete Growing Region

Hacienda La Esmeralda became famous because of this. Whenever Geisha coffee is mentioned, Hacienda La Esmeralda immediately comes to mind. This has caused other estates that grow Geisha coffee to be overlooked. So today, FrontStreet Coffee will first help everyone understand Geisha coffee from the Boquete growing region.

Coffee flavor depends not only on variety but also on important factors like local climate and growing environment. FrontStreet Coffee has discovered that Geisha coffee has a peculiar characteristic - it performs best when grown in extreme environments. The Boquete growing region has coffee cultivation at altitudes between 1,400 and 1,900 meters. It's a town in Chiriqui Province, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its beautiful scenery, rich and fertile soil, and climate and soil conditions that are very suitable for producing high-quality coffee. In the Boquete region, there are also many excellent estates. Besides Hacienda La Esmeralda, there are also Elida Estate, Kotowa Duncan Estate, and others that produce high-quality specialty coffees.

This is not only due to the mild climate conditions of Panama's Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru Volcano area. Additionally, there's another important factor: the varied microclimates found in the highlands of Boquete, Panama. The east-to-west environment of Panama allows cold air currents to converge through the central mountains at altitudes between 1,200 and 2,000 meters. The mountainous fog and rain, along with changing wind patterns, create multiple microclimates in the Boquete area, making its temperature and rainfall very suitable for plant growth. Therefore, coffee trees planted here grow in excellent condition.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha: Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label

Geisha coffee beans from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda have a strict grading system. You've probably heard of Blue Label Geisha, Green Label Geisha, Red Label Geisha, and so on. After winning the Panama "Best of Panama" (BOP) competition in 2004, it made a spectacular impact. Later, after expert identification, it was discovered that this coffee bean was the Geisha variety from Ethiopia. Afterward, the Peterson family focused most of their energy on developing infrastructure to support excellent batch separation and fine processing. The owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda, in pursuit of precision, conducted cupping tests on coffee beans from different areas of the estate, determining planting plots based on altitude.

Esmeralda Special (Esmeralda Red Label)

The Geisha selected as Esmeralda Special is what we commonly call the Red Label. It uses Geisha beans grown at altitudes of 1,600-1,800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, produced in the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes growing regions.

Esmeralda Special is the Geisha batch selected for bidding in Hacienda La Esmeralda's own independent auction from divided plots. This grade of Geisha coffee beans uses natural or washed processing methods, with flavors featuring special, bright floral aromas and citrus notes.

Private Reserve

Private Reserve, commonly known as Green Label, consists of Geisha varieties from micro-batches from different plots like Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, etc. These are not auction competition batches but are still of excellent quality. It's not specifically labeled by plot, so sometimes the flavor similarity between Green Label and Red Label can be very high, but the next batch might differ. Although the Green Label is not as high-grade as the Red Label, it still carries Geisha's classic flavors - floral, fruity, citrus acidity, and thick, juicy texture. The Green Label has both washed and natural processed versions.

Geisha 1500 (Blue Label)

Blue Label Geisha uses beans grown at altitudes of 1,400-1,500 meters, a blend from three different plots: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo. The flavor has subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less thick texture. Originally, Blue Label Geisha was only washed processed, but natural processed versions were added in the 2020 harvest season.

Currently, the most expensive coffee bean at FrontStreet Coffee is the Esmeralda Red Label Geisha. Of course, if you want to experience Geisha coffee flavors without spending so much, FrontStreet Coffee does have a coffee recommendation! That would be the Mariposa coffee, also from the Boquete region of Panama. Mariposa is composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, grown in the Baru Volcano region of Boquete at an altitude of 1,600 meters. It's traditionally cultivated and harvested by smallholder farmers in cooperatives, with processing using precise washed methods.

The special microclimate in Panama results in abundant rainfall in this region, large temperature differences between day and night, unique volcanic rock soil in the volcanic area, plus meticulous harvesting and fine processing, making this coffee outstanding in terms of body, acidity, and floral notes, giving it a very elegant and refined taste - an unforgettable coffee once tasted. What's even more surprising is that, on top of its excellent quality, its very approachable price makes this coffee bean exceptionally cost-effective. The special feature of this coffee bean is the inclusion of the Geisha variety, giving this coffee very distinct Geisha flavors.

Panama's Mariposa coffee bean has conquered many regular customers with its light floral notes, citrus-berry notes, and strong sweet aftertaste. When hearing that this coffee is composed of 70% Geisha blended with 30% Caturra and Catuai beans, customers with some coffee knowledge will show an "I see" expression. In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda used Geisha to win the Panama Best Coffee championship, and from then on, Geisha coffee rose to fame, even considered by some to be the most valuable coffee in the world, without exception.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

So how should we brew such an elegant Geisha to make it taste good? Because Geisha beans are quite hard and tend to sink and clog the drainage holes, we'll use a grind size with an 80% pass rate through a Chinese standard #20 sieve (approximately the size of fine sugar). FrontStreet Coffee still chooses 15g of coffee, paired with a Hario V60 small dripper. The recommended brewing ratio is adjusted to 1:15. On one hand, this uses more water to maintain coffee extraction rate, and on the other hand, it adjusts the coffee concentration to 1.15%, which is the optimal concentration for experiencing coffee's best flavors. For water temperature, we maintain 91 degrees Celsius.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha Coffee Flavor Profile:

Bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricots, complex fruits, honey, with a thick juice-like texture, rich flavor layers, and noticeable sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Flavor Profile:

Rich jasmine floral aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like texture, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, with overall rich flavor layers and persistent floral and citrus aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Washed Mariposa Coffee Flavor Profile:

Entry brings jasmine floral, citrus, and green tea flavors, with sugarcane sweet aftertaste, clean and transparent mouthfeel, giving a relatively refreshing feeling.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

For coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans to maximize the experience of coffee's rich flavors. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at its peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans for them, which is also fine. But FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the package also helps round out the coffee flavors, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the coffee grounds. However, coffee grounds need to be brewed promptly, because after coffee grounds come into contact with air, they oxidize relatively quickly, meaning the coffee flavors will dissipate faster, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding them fresh for each brew to better experience the coffee's flavors.

Important Notice :

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