Flavor Characteristics of Colombian Geisha Coffee Beans - Introduction to Colombian San Pedro Estate Coffee Cultivation

Geisha coffee represents the pinnacle of specialty coffee, capturing the unforgettable first-love flavor that many dream of! While this might sound somewhat exaggerated, Geisha is undoubtedly one of the top-tier coffees in the specialty coffee world. Among them, Panamanian Geisha boasts the highest quality and greatest recognition, becoming synonymous with Geisha itself. However, this doesn't mean Geisha from other countries lacks quality—there are exceptional Geishas waiting to be discovered, such as this particular variety from Colombia.

Colombian Geisha: A Rising Star

Colombian Geisha has undoubtedly outshined its Panamanian counterpart in recent years, not merely due to Colombia's favorable terroir but because it has repeatedly triumphed over Panama's most renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda in international competitions. In 2012, it again secured second place in the SCAA COTY green bean competition, demonstrating its formidable prowess.

Blue Mountain Geisha, grown at elevations of 1,700-1,950 meters in Colombia's Cauca Valley, offers aromas of premium Darjeeling tea, orange, and sweet yellow lemons, with flavors reminiscent of brown sugar and citrus juice, complemented by osmanthus fragrance and a rum-like finish. It presents gentle, non-acidic fruit notes with excellent body and the texture of premium tea. As the temperature decreases, the acidity becomes mellower, followed by distinct sweetness after the gentle acidity.

Colombia · Finca San Pedro

Colombia ranks as the world's third-largest coffee exporter, primarily producing Arabica coffee and exporting the highest volume of Arabica beans. Colombia boasts abundant natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds celebrated as the "four treasures."

Tolima

Tolima borders Huila and Cauca, featuring the north-south running Andes Mountains and Cordillera ranges, with the Magdalena River flowing between these two famous mountain systems.

The name Tolima originates from the earliest inhabitants, the "Pijao people," in whose ancient language Tolima means "snow-covered."

Farms in Tolima are generally slightly larger than those in other southern Colombian growing regions, typically ranging between 10-15 hectares. Cooperative models are prevalent here, with farmers delivering their small batches of fresh coffee cherries to cooperative processing facilities. Some farmers also choose to process their own coffee using small-scale facilities capable of handling daily harvest volumes.

Tolima Growing Region

Tolima borders Huila and Cauca, featuring the north-south running Andes Mountains (M. Andes) and Cordillera ranges (M. Cordillera), with the Magdalena River (R. Magdalena) flowing between these two famous mountain systems.

The name Tolima originates from the earliest inhabitants, the "Pijao people," in whose ancient language (Pijao word) Tolima means "snow-covered."

Farms in Tolima are generally slightly larger than those in other southern Colombian growing regions, typically ranging between 10-15 hectares. Cooperative models are prevalent here, with farmers delivering their small batches of fresh coffee cherries to cooperative processing facilities. Some farmers also choose to process their own coffee using small-scale facilities capable of handling daily harvest volumes.

Finca San Pedro

Finca San Pedro is located in Vereda La Marimba village, where most of the region's premium coffee is cultivated. His son Alberto serves as the community leader, collaborating with many neighboring families to improve coffee quality throughout the region.

Finca San Pedro's processing methods are exemplary, featuring one shallow tank for removing immature cherries and another for fermenting coffee cherries. The coffee cherries ferment for 20-24 hours, followed by 5-7 rounds of washing and drying on new parabolic drying beds.

For them, this new drying bed represents a significant improvement—their previous drying bed was only 12 square meters, meaning insufficient space to evenly dry all coffee during peak harvest season. Now, with a new 47-square-meter bed, all coffee beans can be slowly and thoroughly sun-dried.

Processing Method

This Geisha is processed using the washed method.

Selecting coffee cherries — removing pulp — fermentation — washing — drying — hulling

The selected coffee cherries are placed in a pulper to initially remove their skin and pulp; the coffee beans with remaining pulp and mucilage are placed in water to ferment for approximately 24 hours. After fermentation, the parchment coffee beans are placed in flowing water channels to wash away pulp and mucilage. After washing, the coffee beans are sun-dried or dried using mechanical dryers until moisture content reaches approximately 12%. Finally, the parchment is removed from the green coffee beans.

Green Bean Information

Colombia Tolima Finca San Pedro

• Country: Colombia
• Region: Tolima
• Elevation: 1,860M
• Processing: Washed
• Grade: SUPREMO
• Variety: Geisha

Green Beans & Roasting

The uniqueness of Geisha lies in its very distinct and clear floral and citrus flavors, extremely high cleanliness, soft and elegant acidity, lasting cotton-like sweetness, and the mouthfeel of premium tea. The floral aroma and intense sweetness of tropical fruits create a unique floral-fruity fragrance. Therefore, we typically choose light roasting to showcase the beans' inherent characteristics.

Colombia Tolima Finca San Pedro Geisha - Roasting Profile

Roaster: Yangjia 800N

Preheat the roaster to 180°C, set the damper to 3, and after 30 seconds, adjust the heat to 150, keeping the damper unchanged. The temperature returns to 1'36", and when the drum temperature reaches 140°C, adjust the heat to 130 and open the damper to 4. At this point, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy aroma completely disappears, and the dehydration stage begins. When the drum temperature reaches 166°C, reduce the heat to 110°C, keeping the damper unchanged.

At 7'50", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack, which begins at 8'20". Reduce the heat to 50°C and adjust the damper to 5 (be very careful when adjusting heat—don't reduce it so much that there's no cracking sound). Develop for 1'30" after first crack, then drop at 190°C.

Agtron bean color value 82 (top image), Agtron ground color value 97.4 (bottom image), Roast Delta value is 15.4.

Cupping

1. Flavor descriptions vary by individual and are influenced by water temperature and brewing methods. This cupping report provides descriptions based on the flavor wheel parameters using the same brewing equipment and parameters, intended for reference purposes only.
2. Content will be promptly updated based on new information; the latest updates should be considered authoritative.

Colombia Tolima Finca San Pedro Geisha

Parameters: HARIO V60/90°C/1:15/VARIO 5O (Chinese standard #20 sieve, 57% pass-through rate)

Brewing Method: Step-by-step Extraction

Technique: Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour to 124g. Wait until the water level drops to reveal the coffee bed, then pour to 228g. Remove the filter cup when the coffee bed becomes visible. Extraction time: 1'58".

Flavor: During brewing, you can smell citrus acidity and the fresh aroma of green tea. When hot, the entry reveals distinct cane sugar and licorice sweetness, followed by mid-palate notes of lemon acidity and oolong tea finish, somewhat reminiscent of lemon tea. The finish shows prominent citrus flavors with persistent honey and cane sugar aftertaste, creating a honey green tea sensation.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473