Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Panama Geisha Coffee Beans What's the Difference Between Red, Green, and Blue Label Geisha

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When it comes to Geisha, we must mention the Geisha series from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. FrontStreet Coffee has recently received a batch of the 2020 new season's La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha. Hacienda La Esmeralda's classification system for Geisha is a model that many estates learn from. The Geisha variety alone has three different grades, each with distinct flavor profiles. Many people are not very clear about these three grades of Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda. FrontStreet Coffee believes that understanding the classification logic of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda eliminates any confusion. FrontStreet Coffee summarizes the most obvious differences between Red Label Geisha coffee, Green Label Geisha coffee, and Blue Label Geisha coffee: different planting altitudes and whether mixed beans are used. Red Label Geisha coffee comes from high altitudes (1600-1800 meters) with clear plot information; Green Label Geisha coffee consists of mixed beans from plots at the same altitude as Red Label; and finally, Blue Label Geisha comes from lower altitudes (1400-1500 meters).

Hacienda La Esmeralda

Panama is located in Central America, connecting North and South America, bordering Costa Rica and Colombia. Panama's coffee journey could be said to have started with a golden spoon.

As we all know, the Panama Canal was built by the United States and was under their exclusive control for some time after its completion. The construction of the Panama Canal led many American elites to move south in the late 20th century, partly for work demands and partly to explore business opportunities.

Hacienda La Esmeralda was a witness to that era. In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda located in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical position to help his father manage the farm. In 1987, they introduced Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties, and in 1994, established a washed processing plant, thus having their own coffee processing facility. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo farm, which had a superior geographical environment and excellent original coffee varieties, and incorporated it into Hacienda La Esmeralda.

The reason Jaramillo farm was chosen by the Peterson father and son was precisely because its originally planted coffee beans had pleasant orange aroma and floral-fruity notes, different from the original taste of Panamanian coffee. After cupping coffee beans from different areas of the farm, they discovered that it was an unknown coffee tree growing at the highest point of the farm. Due to its low yield, the previous owner had only used it as a windbreak tree. However, the Petersons discovered it and decided to cultivate and breed the coffee trees from this area separately.

Beginning with winning the championship at the Panama "Best of Panama" (BOP) green bean competition in 2004, it continued to amaze everyone. Later, expert identification revealed 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 Plot Division of Hacienda La Esmeralda

Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in the Boquete region of Panama, which is an important coffee-producing area in Panama. Many well-known coffee estates come from this region, such as Elida Estate and Kotowa Estate.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's division of Geisha plots is extremely detailed, mainly consisting of three plots: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo. Each plot is further subdivided into smaller plots.

High-quality Geisha mainly comes from the two plots of Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes.

Jaramillo has an annual rainfall of 4000ml, with average daytime temperatures between 19-25°C and nighttime temperatures between 11-15°C, at an average altitude of 1600-1700m. The Jaramillo plot is subdivided into 5 smaller plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, and Buenos Aires.

Cañas Verdes has an annual rainfall of 3500ml, with average daytime temperatures between 16-23°C and nighttime temperatures between 10-15°C, at an average altitude of 1600-1800m. Cañas Verdes includes 9 smaller plots: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, Leon, Montaña, Trapiche, Chinta, Cabaña, and Tumaco.

El Velo is the newest plot acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda, with an average altitude of 1700-1900m. In addition to planting Geisha and Catuai, this plot also has a small amount of other exotic varieties, such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28. El Velo is divided into 7 smaller plots: Guabo, Porton, Durazno, Higuerón, Higo, Buena Vista, and Águila.

Geisha Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label

Hacienda La Esmeralda's marketing strategy differs from other estates. Based on cupping performance, planted varieties, and planting plots, they are divided into five brands. The Geisha variety has three brands: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. The Catuai variety has two brands: Diamond Mountain and Palmyra.

Red Label Geisha

The Geisha produced by Esmeralda Special is what we commonly call the Red Label. It selects Geisha beans planted at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, from the two producing regions of Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes.

The independent auction organized by Hacienda La Esmeralda itself features Geisha batches taken from well-divided plots for bidding. Only these are the auction Red Labels, with high prices. FrontStreet Coffee often encounters customers asking if the Red Label in our store is an auction Red Label. As mentioned earlier, auction prices are high and quantities are limited. If a cup of Red Label priced at 75 yuan in our store were of auction level, it would truly be a treasure. However, speaking frankly, the Red Labels on the market are actually Geisha beans selected from the same plots that were not submitted for auction, then circulated in the market. The variety quality is consistent, only showing differences in selling price.

This grade of Geisha uses natural or washed processing methods, with special and bright floral and citrus aromas.

Green Label Geisha

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, consists of batches that are not part of independent competitions. These are Geisha varieties planted for non-auction purposes but still of excellent quality. It selects micro-batch mixed beans planted at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters from different plots such as Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes.

Because it uses a mixed bean model without detailed plot specifications, FrontStreet Coffee has found that in some batches, the flavor similarity between Green Label and Red Label can be very high, but this situation cannot be guaranteed to be the same every time, and future batches may show differences.

Although Green Label is not as high-grade as Red Label, it still carries the classic flavors of Geisha: floral notes, fruit aromas, citrus acidity, and a thick, juicy mouthfeel. Green Label Geisha also comes in both washed and natural processing.

Blue Label Geisha

The Geisha 1500 brand is what we commonly know as Blue Label Geisha. It selects mixed beans from three different plots - Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo - at altitudes of 1400-1500 meters. The flavor is mildly floral, fruity, acidic, and sweet, with a less full-bodied texture. Blue Label Geisha only has washed processing, but in 2020, natural processed coffee beans were added.

Recently, FrontStreet Coffee purchased the 2020 season's Blue Label green beans. To confirm whether there are flavor differences from previous batches, FrontStreet Coffee conducted multiple roasting adjustments and pour-over cuppings.

Example: [FrontStreet Coffee Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label, Green Label, Blue Label]

Roasting Recommendations

Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha beans are full in form, thick and long in shape, with pointed ends. To highlight its floral-fruity flavor profile and bright acidity, FrontStreet Coffee uses light roasting. However, it's important to note that even though they are all Geisha varieties, FrontStreet Coffee uses different parameters when roasting Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label. This requires the accumulated experience of roasters to judge the uniqueness of each bean.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha Coffee Bean Roasting Curve

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using the following brewing parameters: Hario V60 dripper, 90°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and granulated sugar grind size (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

Here, FrontStreet Coffee would like to mention why we determine grind size through sieving. This is actually the grinding recommendation provided by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) for pour-over coffee. FrontStreet Coffee has conducted extensive verification and found that using different grind sizes for brewing produces noticeably different results, and each coffee bean requires a different grind size, which is the significance of sieving. If you don't have a sieve at home, FrontStreet Coffee suggests observing the flow rate to judge - if water flows too quickly, the grind is too coarse; if water flows too slowly, the grind is too fine.

Brewing Technique

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, also called three-stage brewing. Start with 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds, then continue pouring in a circular motion with a small water stream until reaching 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until reaching 225g, then stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. The extraction time is 2'00" (starting from the bloom).

Flavor Description

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

[Green Label] Intense jasmine floral aroma upon entry, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like texture, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, with overall rich flavor layers, and a persistent floral and citrus aftertaste.

[Blue Label] Gentle lemon and grapefruit acidity upon entry, which when slightly cooled reveals oolong tea, honey, and sugarcane sweetness, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

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