Where to Find Authentic Geisha Coffee? How to Drink Ethiopian Geisha Village Geisha Coffee?

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Adam Overton, an American documentary filmmaker, was commissioned in 2007 to shoot a documentary about Ethiopian coffee. During filming in Ethiopia, he met Rachel Samuel, an Ethiopian professional photographer who served as his assistant. Working together daily, they fell in love and married. Through the process of filming the coffee documentary, they learned about Ethiopian coffee production and developed a passion for coffee, leading to the idea of purchasing a coffee plantation.

Especially with the Geisha variety coffee becoming incredibly popular in the global coffee market, Adam harbored a vague dream of purchasing a farm in Ethiopia to grow the world's most expensive and delicious coffee—Geisha.

Adam Overton had absolutely no experience in coffee cultivation but was determined to learn and seek resources. In 2009, the couple met Willem Boot, an American from whom they wanted to learn Geisha coffee cultivation techniques. Willem had already purchased La Mula hacienda in 2006, and five years later, this small hacienda shone brightly at the "Best of Panama" coffee competition. After the Geisha variety appeared in Panama in 2004, Willem had been searching Ethiopia's vast primeval forests for ideal native Geisha varieties, venturing into unexplored territories. He organized several expeditions, collecting numerous varieties from different growing regions and planting them in his Panama hacienda, making him a dedicated Geisha coffee cultivation expert.

After learning from Willem Boot, Adam Overton and his wife made a significant turning point in their Geisha coffee cultivation dream—deciding to have their very own Geisha coffee plantation. Living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, they naturally wanted to find a location closer to home for convenient transportation.

However, finding a large area of land suitable for Geisha cultivation with good conditions such as altitude, microclimate, and irrigation was indeed challenging. They finally decided to establish themselves in Ethiopia's most remote southwestern region, the Bench Maji growing area bordering Sudan.

This region requires a two-day drive from the capital, Addis Ababa. Nearby are several small villages called "Gesha," so the local Meanit indigenous people believe this is the birthplace of Geisha. Adam Overton and his wife chose a piece of land at an average elevation of 1,900 to 2,100 meters, with abundant rainfall and fertile, undeveloped primeval forest. They named it Gesha Village Coffee Estate.

Planting began in 2011, and in February 2012, they consulted with Willem Boot to confirm the Geisha varieties to be planted on the plantation. The first harvest was in 2015. The estate now covers 475 hectares, with 321 hectares planted with coffee. They currently grow three Geisha varieties: Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor Forest. With nervous anticipation, the couple took their first batch of processed Geisha green beans to meet Willem personally for cupping.

The cupping results revealed that this was the best coffee Willem had tasted throughout 2015. The second harvest in 2016 had limited production. This year (2017), following modern trends, they opened online international bidding, similar to how Panamanian Geisha coffee operates.

In 1931, the first native Geisha was taken from Ethiopia, where it thrived in a foreign land (Panama), gaining worldwide fame. Today, 86 years later, an American documentary filmmaker with a Geisha dream has rediscovered the homeland of this variety. We coffee enthusiasts now have the opportunity to taste native Geisha varieties that have been carefully tended, scientifically managed, and strictly quality controlled—an authentic Ethiopian Geisha.

Yirgacheffe: The Land Where We Settle

In the ancient Ethiopian language, "yirga" means "to settle down," while "cheffe" means "wetland." Yirgacheffe therefore means "let us settle and make a living in this wetland."

Yirgacheffe can be considered one of Ethiopia's most renowned growing regions. It's located in a small, high-altitude area within the Sidamo province, at approximately 2,300 meters (equivalent to Taiwan's Alishan mountain). Due to its geographical environment of mountains beside lakes and coffee processing methods, the coffee grown here has a unique flavor profile, leading to its separation from the Sidamo region to become one of Africa's specialty coffee growing areas.

Smallholder coffee farmers deliver their harvested coffee cherries to cooperative washing stations. Traditional Ethiopian washing methods involve fermenting the depulped coffee beans for 72 hours, followed by another washing. The washed coffee beans are then placed on raised beds for drying, with constant manual inspection and turning throughout the process to maintain quality.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Methods

Siphon, Pour-over

Recommended Parameters:

Grind size: 3.5 (Fuji R440 Japan)
Water temperature: 90°C

V60 Brewing Method:

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 91-92°C, grind size 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15

35g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Pour in stages: pour water to 100ml, pause, then slowly pour to 225ml

That is: 30-100-95

Other Drip Brewing Suggestions:

French Press: recommend grind size 3.5-4, water temperature 92°C

AeroPress: recommend grind size 2.5, water temperature 88°C

Pour-over: grind size 3.5, water temperature 89°C

Flavor Profile

Oxalis, lemongrass, honey, blueberry, grapefruit, jasmine, lime, plum, strong rose aroma, peach mixed with bergamot (what some call the "Geisha flavor"), toffee, vanilla, bright acidity, clean and light-bodied.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473