Characteristics of Geisha Village Chaka Geisha: Geisha Coffee Bean Varieties - Gorilla Geisha/Geisha 1931/Illubabor

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The Gesha Craze

In recent years, the Gesha craze has continued, making it the king of the coffee world. For nearly 20 years, the popularity of Gesha has been unparalleled. Discovered in the original forests of Ethiopia 70 years ago, it made a spectacular debut in 2004, winning consecutive world-class competitions, setting record prices, and sweeping the global coffee scene.

The Origin of Gesha

Like many coffee varieties worldwide, the Gesha variety also originates from Ethiopia, Africa. It was discovered in 1931 in the Kaffa forest of Gesha Mountain, then sent to the Kenyan Coffee Research Institute. In 1936, it traveled to Uganda and Tanzania, was introduced to Costa Rica in 1953, and finally reached its famed destination—Panama—in 1963.

Due to its characteristics of low yield, tall trees, and difficult harvesting, the Gesha variety remained relatively unknown. It was under the dedicated research of Daniel Peterson, the third-generation owner of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, that the unique citrus aroma of Gesha coffee was discovered. He began separating the Gesha coffee trees in his farm and replanting them in higher altitude areas, providing meticulous care. Finally, in 2004, the Gesha coffee cultivated by Hacienda La Esmeralda achieved commercial production and shone brightly after winning the Best of Panama competition that year. From 2005-2007, Gesha won the Best of Panama cupping competition for three consecutive years, transforming it into one of the world's most expensive coffees.

Today, FrontStreet Coffee won't discuss Gesha's famous home but instead trace back to its birthplace—Gesha Village in Ethiopia. What rich aromas might Gesha possess when returned to its African terroir?

Gesha Village Coffee Estate

Unlike most African cooperatives based around villages, Gesha Village is a large-scale coffee plantation estate managed by documentary filmmaker Adam Overton and his wife Rachel Samuel. In 2007, while filming a coffee documentary for the Ethiopian government, they first encountered the coffee forest where Gesha was discovered. After consulting with some judges and consultants in the Panamanian coffee industry, Adam and Rachel traveled to Bench Maji, the birthplace of Gesha, in 2011, hoping to explore the most original Gesha coffee.

Adam searched with Willem Boot, a BOP judge, for native Gesha trees in the Gori Gesha forest. Among wild coffee trees, they discovered wild Gesha coffee trees, collected seeds, and returned to Gesha Village to screen and begin cultivation. The couple established the nearly 500-hectare Gesha Village Coffee Estate near the Gori Gesha forest.

Most coffee production in Ethiopia consists of small-scale farming, with relatively small coffee yields and processing facilities. However, Gesha Village Coffee Estate is a large-scale farm. Adam and Rachel established their own washed processing plant and laboratory, planting only Gesha varieties within the estate. After referencing the standardized cultivation methods of some Gesha-growing estates in Panama, the couple numbered and recorded detailed information about different planting plots to facilitate later organization and flavor traceability.

How Gesha Village Grades Its Coffee

Through the division of plots by the estate owner, we can see that the western part of Gesha Village Coffee Estate has higher planting altitudes, especially the OMA, SURMA, and SHEWA-JIBABU plots, with altitudes between 1900-2069 meters, with SHEWA-JIBABU having the highest average altitude. The southern part of the estate has a relatively higher shade ratio, while the northern part receives longer sunlight exposure. Among the estate's eight plots, Adam selected the most suitable variety for each plot based on microclimate differences such as altitude, soil conditions, and shade conditions to ensure each plot could develop different flavor characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee would like to remind everyone that the Gesha planted in Ethiopia's Gesha Village is not the same variety that became famous in Panama. Gesha Village has three Gesha varieties: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor Forest. Gori Gesha and Gesha 1931 share the same lineage as the Panamanian Gesha variety but are still not identical varieties. Among them, Gesha 1931 exhibits characteristics very similar to Panamanian Gesha, while Illubabor is a disease-resistant variety provided by the Ethiopian research institute.

To ensure the quality of Gesha coffee produced by Gesha Village Coffee Estate, Adam established a strict grading system, dividing Gesha into different levels: Auction, Gold, Red, Green, and CHAKA.

Gesha Village Auction

The Gesha Village auction batches are the top-tier batches, available only through buyer bidding. The production of Gesha Village auction Gesha accounts for only 3.7% of the annual production. These Gesha coffee batches undergo multiple strict screenings.

Gesha Village Gold Label

Gesha Village Gold Label Gesha is a batch often purchased by competition participants worldwide and quality-focused roasters, accounting for about 10% of the estate's annual production, with detailed traceability information. The Gold Label batch that FrontStreet Coffee purchased offers complex and rich flavors. During cupping, one can appreciate the charm of this Gesha coffee batch—whether in the uniqueness of the dry aroma or the sipping flavors and aftertaste, it leaves a memorable impression.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Gesha Village Gold Label Gesha

Region: Bench Maji, Ethiopia

Estate: Gesha Village Oma Plot

Altitude: 1900-2040 meters

Variety: Gesha 1931

Processing: Natural

Flavor: Citrus, Berries, Cream, Caramel, Melon, Honey

Gesha Village Red Label

Gesha Village Red Label also has complete traceability information, accounting for 15% of the annual production, representing premium Gesha coffee with SCA standard cupping scores of 88 points or above. Although the flavor intensity and complexity may not match the Gold Label and Auction batches, the Red Label possesses very classic Gesha Village flavors. FrontStreet Coffee considers this a Gesha batch with excellent value for money, worth acquiring for Gesha enthusiasts.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Gesha Village Red Label Gesha

Region: Bench Maji, Ethiopia

Estate: Gesha Village Shewa-Jibabu Plot

Altitude: 1973-2069 meters

Variety: Gori Gesha

Processing: Natural

Flavor: Lemon, Plum, Citrus, Tropical Fruits, Floral Tea

Gesha Village Green Label

Gesha Village Green Label batches refer to single-plot and single-variety batches. The Green Label batch provides complete traceability information for each batch number, including farm plot name, coffee variety, and processing date. Compared to Red Label and Gold Label batches, Green Label does not have cupping score requirements, making it an entry-level single-plot Gesha batch.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Gesha Village Green Label Gesha

Region: Bench Maji, Ethiopia

Estate: Gesha Village Bangi Plot

Altitude: 1911-2001 meters

Variety: Gori Gesha

Processing: Natural

Gesha Village CHAKA

Unlike other batches from Gesha Village Coffee Estate, CHAKA combines Gesha coffee beans from all plots and throughout the entire production season, including all three Gesha varieties planted at Gesha Village: Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor. This coffee bean is available in both washed and natural processing methods. FrontStreet Coffee obtained the natural processed batch.

First, floating selection is used to remove impurities and unripe fruits, then they are spread thinly on African raised beds covered with plastic for natural drying. During the drying process, regular turning is required, and manual selection is performed to remove unevenly colored particles. The total drying time is 18-30 days. To preserve more fruit acidity, FrontStreet Coffee chose light to medium roast.

Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee experienced that Gesha Village's CHAKA presents floral, citrus, berry, cream, oolong tea, and cane sugar flavors. Compared to Panamanian Gesha coffee, Ethiopian Gesha varieties exhibit fresher citrus notes and more transparent acidity. Below, FrontStreet Coffee uses store brewing parameters to hand-brew a cup of CHAKA to experience the flavors of Ethiopian Gesha coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's CHAKA Brewing Recommendations

Preparation before brewing is crucial. Since this is high-quality coffee beans, to fully appreciate the complete aroma of the coffee, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing freshly roasted coffee beans. Since all coffee has a period when its flavor is at its best, typically within 7-30 days after roasting, only brewing during this time does justice to these fine coffees. The coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are all roasted within 5 days, ensuring that the coffee beans received after placing an order are at their freshest, perfectly timed for the optimal tasting period. Light-roasted coffee beans have a harder texture and require higher water temperature and finer grinding to extract the aromatic compounds of Gesha coffee.

Dripper: V60

Water Temperature: 91-92°C

Coffee Amount: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Fine sugar (80% passes through #20 sieve)

Three-stage extraction: First stage uses 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, pouring evenly in circles to form a dome. Second stage injects 95g of hot water, and when the coffee bed drops to half, begin the third stage with 100g until all coffee has finished dripping. Note to start pouring from the center point, using small water flow with gentle circular motions throughout to avoid uneven extraction.

Gesha Village CHAKA offers notes of tropical fruits, bergamot, and citrus, with creamy sweetness and hints of fermentation. As the temperature cools slightly, jasmine fragrance gradually emerges.

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