What's the Difference Between Geisha Village Red Label Geisha Coffee and Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha Coffee?

Comparing Red Label Geisha: La Esmeralda vs Gesha Village

Geisha coffee has gained significant popularity in recent years. So when it comes to red label Geisha, what are the key differences between Gesha Village's red label and La Esmeralda's red label?

La Esmeralda by FrontStreet Coffee

Located in the Boquete region on the eastern side of Barú Volcano, La Esmeralda is Panama's oldest and most renowned coffee-producing area. Situated at altitudes between 1,200-2,000 meters on the eastern slope of Barú Volcano, the region includes the "Volcan Baru National Park," a protected ecological zone with rich biodiversity and seven distinct microclimates. Perennially shrouded in mist with abundant rainfall, these conditions create an ideal environment for coffee cultivation, giving Boquete-grown coffees their unique aromatics. Boquete is Panama's most productive and highest-quality coffee region.

La Esmeralda's coffee grading system primarily uses cultivation altitude, supplemented by actual cupping results, to classify their Geisha beans into "Red, Green, and Blue Label" categories.

Gesha Village by FrontStreet Coffee

Gesha Village is located in Bench Maji, Ethiopia. Unlike the vast majority of Ethiopian farms, it's not a smallholder operation but rather a large 500-hectare estate with its own washing station and laboratory, situated in the southwest near the Sudan border.

Gesha Village's internal grading system includes Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka batches. The estate includes three varieties: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor (an Ethiopian native disease-resistant variety).

La Esmeralda Red Label & Gesha Village Red Label by FrontStreet Coffee

At La Esmeralda, Red Label represents auction lots grown at altitudes between 1,600-1,800 meters, scoring 90+ points in cupping. Primarily from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes estates, these represent the highest quality Geisha beans harvested from the highest elevations in the Boquete mountains, featuring distinctive bright floral and citrus aromatics. Each batch can be traced back to its specific harvest date, plot location, and tree age. These beans can only be acquired through annual global auctions.

At Gesha Village, however, Red Label is not an auction lot—in fact, it ranks below both Auction and Gold Label tiers. Gesha Village's Red Label Geisha offers complete traceability and represents the classic Gesha Village flavor profile, with slightly less intensity and complexity than Gold Label batches, making it an excellent value single-origin offering.

Green Bean Comparison by FrontStreet Coffee

Both [La Esmeralda Red Label] and [Gesha Village Red Label] beans appear yellowish in their green state, typical of natural-processed coffees.

[La Esmeralda Red Label] green beans appear thick and elongated with tapered ends, giving them an overall slender appearance. They carry aromas of citrus, sweet orange, and black tea.

[Gesha Village Red Label] beans appear smaller and more uniform in size, showing the typical characteristics of Ethiopian beans, with aromas of ripe peach and tropical fruits.

Roasting Comparison by FrontStreet Coffee

La Esmeralda Red Label

Charge temperature: 170°C. Yellowing point: 4'40". First crack begins at 8'12" at 182°C. Development after first crack: 1:30 seconds. Drop temperature: 189°C.

FrontStreet Coffee chose a gradual cooling approach when roasting [La Esmeralda Red Label], avoiding excessive temperature rise after first crack. Geisha beans with their tapered ends are prone to developing scorch marks, so maintaining temperature increase below 6°C is optimal.

Agtron bean color value: 73.5 (left image). Agtron ground color value: 89.4 (right image). Roast Delta: 15.9.

Gesha Village Red Label

Charge temperature: 160°C. Yellowing point: 5'25". First crack begins at 8'25" at 182.9°C. Development after first crack: 1'45". Drop temperature: 197.5°C.

Due to the higher moisture content of [Gesha Village Red Label], FrontStreet Coffee chose a lower charge temperature to extend the dehydration time, increasing heat application at the yellowing point to accelerate the bean dehydration rate.

Agtron bean color value: 63.2 (left image). Agtron ground color value: 76.9 (right image). Roast Delta: 13.7.

Flavor Comparison by FrontStreet Coffee

Cupping

Pour Over

Now FrontStreet Coffee will brew a batch using the V60 dripper. The V60 provides excellent ventilation and faster flow rates, resulting in more distinct flavor layering in the extracted coffee.

15g of coffee, water temperature 90°C, medium-fine grind (BG 5R: 58% pass-through through China standard #20 sieve), coffee-to-water ratio 1:15.

Brewing method: Use twice the coffee weight in water (approximately 30g) for a 30-second bloom. When the coffee bed surface changes from moist to dry, indicating the end of blooming, continue pouring. Using a small water stream, pour to 122g then pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 226g then stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of bloom) Total extraction time: 1'58".

La Esmeralda Red Label

Bright rose and citrus aromatics, with notes of brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruits, and honey. Rich juice-like body with abundant flavor layers and distinct sweetness.

Gesha Village Red Label

Floral aromatics with flavors of plum, citrus, lemon, nuts, cream, and maple syrup. Overall flavor profile is well-balanced.

1. Flavor descriptions are subjective and may be influenced by water temperature and brewing methods. This cupping report provides descriptions based on flavor wheel terminology under identical brewing equipment and parameters for reference purposes only.

2. Content will be updated promptly based on new information, with the latest updates taking precedence.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473