The History of Geisha Coffee: Origin and Development of the Geisha Coffee Variety

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In 2001, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered Geisha coffee through cupping results at their estate, also known as Geisha coffee. It was named Geisha because it was speculated that this variety was collected from the Geisha forest in Ethiopia. Geisha has the same pronunciation as the Japanese word "geisha," so "Geisha coffee" is also known as "Geisha coffee."

Geisha coffee originates from Ethiopia, which is the birthplace of coffee and the genetic kingdom of coffee. There are numerous varieties, so many Ethiopian coffee beans are directly labeled as native varieties in terms of variety. The Geisha variety was discovered in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia in 1931, then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya, introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, reached Costa Rica in 1953, and was finally introduced to Panama in 1970. Initially, Geisha did not receive much attention locally until Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda separated it from other varieties and entered it into competitions, winning the BOP championship in 2004. It became famous overnight, bringing Geisha into the spotlight and making it a standout in specialty coffee.

Although Panama Geisha coffee beans were introduced from Ethiopia for cultivation, they still differ from Ethiopian Geisha varieties and flavors. Although the Geisha variety's flavor is delicate, this elegant flavor comes from specific growing conditions. The Geisha variety is very particular about its growing environment, requiring high-altitude areas with cloud and fog shade or numerous shade trees, and fertile soil. High-altitude Geisha variety coffee exhibits obvious floral aromas and delicate, elegant fruit acidity, so Panama's growing conditions are also an important reason for Geisha coffee's fame and one of the reasons for its global popularity.

Since Panama Geisha coffee became famous, many places around the world have begun researching and cultivating the Geisha variety, including many established estates in Panama. FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha coffee beans come not only from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda but also from representative origins like Colombia and Costa Rica. Of course, Ethiopian Geisha is essential, as this recognized birthplace of coffee alone has over a dozen single-origin beans.

Characteristics of These Geisha Coffee Beans

Colombian Geisha Coffee

The Hanami coffee that FrontStreet Coffee acquired this time is a blend of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. Initially, the estate planted Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties. In 2016, the estate owner and his team introduced the Geisha variety from Panama, and by 2020, they began harvesting, entering mass production in 2021. Therefore, this coffee bean can be considered the first time Monteblanco Estate has sold Geisha coffee beans to the market.

The Herrera family of "Hope Farm" in Colombia introduced Geisha coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2007. Although the initial attempt failed, after years of trial cultivation efforts, they won first place in the "Annual Green Bean Competition hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America" (COTY - Coffees of the Year) in Houston in April 2011.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Hanami flavor characteristics: Red pepper, chamomile, wo citrus, honey, almond

Costa Rican Geisha

Costa Rican Geisha coffee is also quite famous. Geisha was introduced to Costa Rica in 1953, earlier than Panama. Panama began cultivating Geisha coffee in the 1970s when Mr. Francisco Serracin from Tumbaco Agricultural Estate obtained seeds from CATIE in Costa Rica. Due to extremely low yields and the need for competitive bidding, this bean is truly hard to come by.

Costa Rica's coffee-growing regions provide fertile volcanic ash from volcanic terrain, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable, abundant rainfall - all important factors for Costa Rica's production of excellent coffee. Costa Rica has been growing coffee for nearly two hundred years. As an important economic crop for the country, the industry is very mature. Today, there are also many newly established estates, most of which have resources and are willing to cultivate Geisha variety coffee. The Mirasu Geisha blend, as its name suggests, mainly contains 50% Geisha variety. In addition to Geisha, it also includes ET47, SL28, and MAICO.

In FrontStreet Coffee's Mirasu Geisha blend, the Geisha variety coffee beans provide jasmine floral aroma, while other varieties enrich the strawberry berry flavors. Additionally, the raisin honey processing method enhances the sweetness of this coffee.

Costa Rica Mirasu coffee flavor characteristics: Jasmine floral aroma, with sweet raisin and strawberry candy flavors upon entry, nutty cream-like mouthfeel.

Ethiopian Geisha Coffee

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee. The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 and gradually spread to American countries. Therefore, besides Panama, Ethiopia is one of the most noteworthy Geisha coffee-producing countries. However, unlike Panama and other American countries, Ethiopia has numerous varieties and is dominated by smallholder farming, making it nearly impossible to identify whether they are Geisha varieties. Most are exported under the name "native variety." Adam and Rachel, owners of Gesha Village Estate, began their search in 2008, and after three years of exploration, finally found a suitable coffee-growing environment system at 1900-2100 meters altitude with tropical rainforests, suitable climate, fertile forest soil, and long-standing forests. With guidance and help from Mr. William, the "Godfather of Geisha," Gesha Village's coffee has repeatedly achieved excellent results in world competitions.

Gesha Village Estate is completely different from most Ethiopian farms - it's not a small farm but a large estate of over 400 hectares with its own washing station and laboratory, located in the southwest near the Sudan border. Gesha Village divides the farm into 8 blocks with 3 main Geisha varieties. The Geisha selection comes from native coffee forests 20 kilometers from the estate, which is precisely the origin of Panama's Geisha variety.

The flavor expression of Gesha Village Estate's Geisha coffee differs from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee. Panama's washed Geisha coffee typically features delicate floral aromas, tea-like qualities, and almond nutty notes; while natural processed Geisha often shows rich fruity flavors, subtle floral aromas, and when cooled, evokes ginger flower and citrus notes. Gesha Village Estate's coffee is primarily characterized by yellow drupe flavors, reminiscent of yellow peaches, with medium to high sweetness, with better-performing batches even showing toffee-like flavors.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Estate

In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical practice to help his father run the farm, introducing Caturra and Catuai coffee bean varieties in 1987, and establishing a washing station in 1994, thus having their own coffee processing facility. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo Estate, which had superior geographical conditions and good original coffee variety flavors, incorporating it into Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Jaramillo was chosen by the Peterson father and son precisely because its originally planted coffee beans carried pleasant orange and floral fruit aromas, different from Panama's original coffee flavors. After cupping coffee beans from different areas of the estate, they discovered that it was an unknown coffee tree growing at the highest point of the estate. Due to its low yield, the previous owner had used it only as a windbreak. The Petersons uncovered it and decided to separate and cultivate the coffee trees in this area independently. Starting with winning the Panama green bean competition BOP in 2004, it achieved astonishing success. After expert identification, it was discovered that this coffee bean was the Ethiopian Geisha variety. Subsequently, the Peterson family focused most of their energy on developing infrastructure to support excellent batch separation and fine processing.

Geisha Grades at Hacienda La Esmeralda

After years of experimentation, Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered that only Geisha grown above 1400 meters altitude can exhibit its proper delicate flavors. Therefore, Hacienda La Esmeralda primarily uses planting altitude as the main criterion, supplemented by actual cupping results, to classify the Geisha coffee grown on the estate into three grades: Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label. However, in the first half of that year, Hacienda La Esmeralda announced the cancellation of the Blue Label brand. In the second half of the year, FrontStreet Coffee discovered a Geisha coffee named "Las Rocas" on the market. After rigorous investigation and cupping, it was found that Las Rocas indeed came from Hacienda La Esmeralda, with flavors highly similar to the previous Blue Label.

Red Label Geisha

Hacienda Esmeralda's specially selected Geisha is what's commonly known as Red Label. It uses Geisha coffee beans grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, produced from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes regions. The independent auction hosted by Hacienda Esmeralda features only Geisha batches from designated plots for auction bidding. However, there are also non-auction Red Labels on the market today. These are actually Geisha beans selected from the same plots that were not put up for auction and then circulated in the market. The variety quality is consistent, only showing differences in selling price.

FrontStreet Coffee acquired the natural processed Red Label Geisha from the Jaramillo plot. This grade of Geisha uses either natural or washed processing methods, with flavors featuring special, bright floral aromas and citrus notes. The natural processed Geisha coffee beans have more complex aromas and outstanding sweet and sour qualities. If you want to enjoy top-tier Geisha coffee flavors at a high price, Hacienda Esmeralda's natural processed Red Label Geisha is more classic. The natural processing makes Geisha flavors richer, leaving a lingering fragrance that's unforgettable. FrontStreet Coffee's Emerald Red Label comes from the same Jaramillo farm as the champion Geisha coffee beans that won the 2004 BOP competition.

Green Label Geisha

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, consists of non-competition batch Geisha varieties that don't participate in auctions but still maintain excellent quality. It uses Geisha grown at 1600-1800 meters altitude, produced from different plots like Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, etc., as micro-batch blends. Although the Green Label grade is not as high as Red Label, it still carries Geisha's classic flavors - floral aromas, fruit notes, citrus-lemon acidity, and thick, juicy mouthfeel. Green Label Geisha also comes in both washed and natural processing.

Compared to FrontStreet Coffee's natural Red Label, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Green Label represents fresh and clean style, with typical Geisha flavors clearly discernible and overall freshness, like drinking oolong tea. It's also the value-for-money choice among Hacienda Esmeralda's Geisha varieties.

Blue Label Geisha

Blue Label Geisha uses beans grown at 1400-1500 meters altitude, produced from mixed batches from three different plots: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo. The flavors feature subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less thick mouthfeel. In previous years, Blue Label Geisha was only available in washed processing, while the 2020 Blue Label batch added natural processing. In 2021, Hacienda Esmeralda canceled the Blue Label Geisha grade. A few months later, a Geisha coffee bean named "Las Rocas" appeared. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas found through cupping comparisons that this "Las Rocas" had very similar flavors to the previous Blue Label.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed processed Blue Label Geisha has subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less thick mouthfeel, while the natural processed Blue Label has subtle floral notes, obvious fermentation notes, and berry juice-like mouthfeel with high sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the new season Blue Label introducing natural processing is undoubtedly a benefit for consumers. Previously, if consumers wanted to drink natural processed Hacienda Esmeralda Geisha, they often had to purchase high-priced Red/Green Labels. The natural Blue Label allows consumers to buy a Hacienda Esmeralda natural Geisha at a lower price with high value for money.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions

For coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using freshly roasted coffee beans to best appreciate the rich flavors of the coffee. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee when their order arrives. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor. Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee reminds customers that once coffee beans are pre-ground, they need to be brewed promptly, because coffee grounds oxidize relatively quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee's flavor will dissipate quickly, resulting in less-than-optimal flavor. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests grinding fresh and brewing immediately to better appreciate the coffee's flavors.

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Bean Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C
Dose: 15 grams
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (BG#6S) (Chinese standard #20 sieve pass rate 80%)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction method

Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then continue pouring with small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for the coffee extraction to complete, then remove the dripper. Timing starts from the beginning of pouring, with total extraction time of 2'00". Next, take the entire cup of coffee, shake it well, then pour into cups for tasting.

FrontStreet Coffee Hand-brewed Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Flavor Descriptions

Natural Red Label: Bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricots, complex fruits, honey, with thick juice-like mouthfeel, rich flavor layers, and obvious sweetness.

Washed Green Label: Rich jasmine floral aroma upon entry, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like mouthfeel, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, with overall rich flavor layers and persistent floral and citrus aftertaste.

Washed Blue Label: Gentle acidity of lemon and grapefruit upon entry, with oolong tea, honey, and sucrose sweet aftertaste as temperature slightly decreases, with relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

Natural Blue Label: Fermented aroma and fruity sweetness in the aroma, with cantaloupe and tropical fruit sweetness when tasted, juice-like mouthfeel, with overall very high sweetness.

Important Notice :

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