Is Starbucks Geisha Coffee Expensive? Does Starbucks Have Geisha Coffee? How Much Does It Cost Per Cup?

Introduction to Gesha Coffee

Gesha coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Some might wonder: is such expensive coffee really that delicious? Does the most expensive coffee necessarily taste the best? And is it available in all coffee shops? In fact, Gesha coffee has become quite common nowadays, and FrontStreet Coffee believes that most coffee shops carry it. Most people typically drink instant coffee or coffee from chain shops like Starbucks, which can actually be quite expensive at over thirty yuan per cup.

After gaining fame from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, Gesha coffee is now cultivated in many regions worldwide and has become the new king of specialty coffee. Among these, Latin American countries like Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia produce higher quality and more expensive varieties. To allow more friends to taste the deliciousness of Gesha coffee, FrontStreet Coffee has specifically included Boquete Gesha coffee from Panama's Boquete region as one of our daily offerings.

The Origin and History of Gesha Coffee

Gesha coffee is actually a coffee variety that originates from Ethiopia. Of course, Ethiopian Gesha from the Gesha village is completely different from Panamanian Gesha coffee beans.

The Gesha variety was discovered in the Gesha forest of Ethiopia in 1931. Coincidentally sharing the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for "geisha," it was exported to Kenya, traveled through Tanzania and Costa Rica, and was eventually transplanted to Panama in the 1960s. After nearly half a century of obscurity, it suddenly rose to prominence, defeating perennial champions like Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica to win first place in the Panama Cup of Excellence competition for three consecutive years in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

In 2007, Gesha coffee once again won the championship at the International Cupping Tournament hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), with a bidding price of $130 per pound, setting the highest price record for competition beans in history. It is reported that subsequent Panama Cup of Excellence competitions were divided into Gesha and non-Gesha categories to prevent Gesha from stealing the spotlight from other varieties. Gesha belongs to the Typica family but only gained fame after leaving Ethiopia for over seventy years, further confirming Ethiopia's status as a genetic treasure trove of Arabica coffee – casually giving away a variety to the world was enough to create waves in the coffee market.

Today, Gesha coffee is cultivated in an increasingly wide range of regions, including Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Yunnan China, and Taiwan China. FrontStreet Coffee has also acquired and compared Gesha coffee beans from various producing countries and regions. FrontStreet Coffee believes that if you want to taste classic and stunning Gesha coffee flavors, Panamanian Gesha coffee is truly praiseworthy.

Panama's Growing Environment

Panama is located in Central America, connecting North and South America, bordering Costa Rica and Colombia. The microclimates found in Panama's highlands are the most important resource that makes Panama's unique coffee one-of-a-kind. The east-to-west environment of the Republic of Panama allows cold air currents to flow through the central mountains and converge above 6,500 feet, thereby creating various microclimates in the Boquete and Volcán-Candela regions, making them the main producing areas of Panama's unique coffee. These unique coffees are cultivated in the nutrient-rich, balanced soil of the Baru volcano region.

The Gesha from Hacienda La Esmeralda comes from the Boquete region, with its Esmeralda Red Label and Esmeralda Green Label world-renowned and considered among the most expensive coffees. Especially the Esmeralda Red Label.

Panama Boquete Region

Boquete is a town in the Chiriqui province, located in the Panama green mountain highlands of the largest western province of Chiriqui, about 60 kilometers from the Costa Rican border, near the famous Baru volcano. The beautiful scenery, fertile and rich soil, and climate are perfect for producing high-quality coffee. The cool, foggy, and mountainous geographical environment creates unique microclimates. The cool climate and frequent fog help slow down the maturation process of coffee cherries, achieving similar effects to high altitude. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped coffee beans from this region and found flavors ranging from cocoa to fruit notes with a slight acidity.

The microclimates of the Boquete highlands are an important resource that makes the specialty coffee of the Boquete region unique. This allows Panama's east-to-west environment to channel cold air currents through the central mountains, converging above 1,600m, thereby creating various microclimates in the Boquete region, making its temperature and rainfall extremely suitable for plant growth. Therefore, coffee trees growing in this area thrive. In Spanish, the word Boquete means "gap or opening." It was through this gap that curious gold seekers hiked to find cheaper, faster routes to the Pacific. At the end of the nineteenth century, farmers began settling in this area. By the early twentieth century, several villages were populated: Lino, Quiel, Bajo Mono, Los Naranjos, and Bajo Boquete, now the downtown area of the region. Shortly thereafter, coffee production began.

Due to the increased altitude, insect problems are also minimized. These positive benefits can be felt in management and translate into lower costs and reduced production fluctuations. Such excellent geographical conditions result in the exceptional quality and rich flavor of Deborah Estate's coffee.

Hacienda La Esmeralda

In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and bought Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical position to help his father run the farm. In 1987, they introduced Caturra and Catuai coffee bean varieties, established a washed processing plant in 1994, and since then have had their own coffee processing facility. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo estate, which had a superior geographical environment and good original coffee varieties, and incorporated it into Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Hacienda La Esmeralda mainly has three estates growing the Gesha variety: El Velo, Canas Verdes, and Jaramillo. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo estate, which had a superior geographical environment and good original coffee varieties. El Velo was acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2012. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Hacienda La Esmeralda's acquisition of estates with good production and high altitude was a unique decision at the time, which also enabled Hacienda La Esmeralda to occupy a certain position in the coffee industry.

Although Hacienda La Esmeralda initially discovered coffee beans with flavor characteristics, for precision, they cupped coffee beans from different areas of the estate and determined planting plots based on altitude. This is why we now have the Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label Gesha grades, all classified by altitude. FrontStreet Coffee will explain this content in more detail below.

Gesha Coffee Bean Processing Methods

As one of the most traditional raw bean processing methods, washed processing not only makes coffee production quality more stable but also allows Gesha to present higher cleanliness and fresher flavor profiles. After roasting, FrontStreet Coffee detects Gesha's elegant white floral notes, rising citrus and lemon acidity, with a slight green tea flavor, reminiscent of drinking a cup of gentle Tieguanyin tea. During raw bean processing, the selected coffee cherries are first put into a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp; coffee beans with residual pulp and mucilage are placed in water to ferment for about 24 hours; after fermentation, coffee beans with parchment are put into flowing water channels to wash away their pulp and mucilage; after washing, the coffee beans are dried in the sun or with a dryer until the moisture content reaches about 12%. Finally, the parchment is removed from the coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Gesha Brewing Parameters:

Gesha coffee is world-renowned for its rich floral notes and complex fruit profiles. The specific brewing parameters used by FrontStreet Coffee are: V60 dripper, water temperature 91°C, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, coffee amount 15g, medium-fine grind size (80% pass-through rate with China #20 standard sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee's segmented extraction technique: First, use 30g of water to fully saturate the coffee grounds into a "hamburger" shape and let it bloom for 30 seconds; In the second segment, at 1'00" on the timer, pour water to 125g, then stop and wait for the water level to drop to 2/3 of the coffee bed before pouring the third segment; In the third segment, at 1'40" on the timer, pour water to 225g, and wait for the coffee to completely finish dripping, with a total extraction time of 1'59". The total brewing time is 2'00". After coffee extraction is complete, gently shake to ensure the coffee liquid is fully uniform before tasting.

Panama Washed Boquete Gesha coffee flavor characteristics: has clear citrus, lemon, and bergamot acidity, with a creamy smooth mouthfeel when swallowed, and finishes with green tea and honey sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions:

No matter what kind of coffee you brew, the freshness of the coffee beans is very important. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the flavor of the coffee. Therefore, the coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it is at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee warmly reminds you: if the coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for a resting period, because during transportation, the pressure of carbon dioxide inside the package can also help the coffee flavor become rounded, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the coffee grounds. However, coffee grounds need to be brewed promptly, because coffee grounds oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate relatively quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests buying whole beans and grinding them fresh for brewing, so you can better taste the coffee's flavor.

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