What Grade is Gesha Coffee? Discover Why Panama Gesha is So Expensive

Nowadays, when people talk about expensive coffee, Blue Mountain coffee no longer occupies the center stage. In recent years, with consumers' pursuit of fresh and clean coffee flavors, Geisha variety coffee from Panama has become the focus of attention. One reason is that Geisha coffee offers a clean, fresh taste with citrus and floral tea-like notes, while another is that some Panama Geisha coffees are truly extremely expensive!!!

In September 2022, the renowned Lamastus family of Panama sold Geisha coffee from the Aguacatillo batch of Elida Estate at an independent auction for $6,000 per pound (over 40,000 RMB). According to the auction family's official website, this batch of Geisha coffee was grown at the highest point of Elida Estate, with cultivation altitude exceeding 2000 meters, producing only 7 pounds of Geisha coffee beans.

Why can Geisha coffee be sold at such high prices?

Because Geisha coffee is a very delicate coffee variety.

According to FrontStreet Coffee, the Geisha variety has much fewer and weaker roots compared to other Arabica varieties, and its leaves and branches lack sufficient strength. Therefore, each tree doesn't produce much fruit per harvest - only half the yield of common Central and South American varieties like Caturra and Catuai.

Due to its fragile roots and Central/South America's susceptibility to hurricanes, heavy rains, and other harsh weather conditions, whenever there are strong winds and heavy rain, the season's Geisha fruit yield becomes even smaller, and quality is also affected to some extent.

Based on Panama's total annual coffee production of 10,000 tons, Geisha coffee only accounts for 3% of that. Even for Hacienda La Esmeralda, the Panama estate that produces the most Geisha coffee, the annual Geisha coffee production is only about 270 kilograms.

The cultivation and growth conditions required for Geisha coffee are truly demanding!

Although Geisha coffee is inherently weak, it偏偏 prefers environments with large day-night temperature differences, less comfortable conditions, rainfall that can't be too much but also can't be too little, and altitudes above 1500m to develop its refined and charming flavors.

For this reason, its roots can be said to bear burdens that shouldn't belong to its age. It's precisely because of this that although the fruit set rate of Geisha varieties is low, the roots provide sufficient nutrition for each fruit, and the large day-night temperature differences also slow down the growth and maturation speed.

Therefore, Geisha coffee beans grown above 1500m can exhibit perfume-like charming flavors, various flower fragrances, citrus and berry-like acidity, and tea-like aftertaste. The higher the altitude, the more refined the flavor. This is also why many high-altitude Geisha coffee beans from renowned Panama estates can be sold at such high prices.

How to buy delicious Panama Geisha coffee beans?

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee sells three types of Panama Geisha coffee beans:

Panama La Esmeralda Estate · Red Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Region: Boquet

Estate: La Esmeralda Estate, Jaramillo Farm

Lot: Mario

Altitude: 1600-1800 meters

Processing: Natural processing

Variety: Geisha

Flavor description: Rose, berries, apricot, complex fruits, honey, black tea

Panama La Esmeralda Estate · Green Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Region: Boquet

Estate: La Esmeralda Estate, Jaramillo + Cañas Farms

Altitude: 1600-1800 meters

Processing: Washed processing

Variety: Geisha

Flavor description: Jasmine, ginger flower, orange juice, honey, green tea

Panama Boquete Region · Washed Geisha Coffee Beans

Region: Boquet

Altitude: 1600 meters

Processing: Washed processing

Variety: Geisha

Flavor description: White floral notes, citrus, honey, tea-like sensation

What parameters should be used for pour-over Geisha coffee?

Geisha coffee is world-renowned for its rich floral notes and complex fruit tones. FrontStreet Coffee's roasters hope to preserve more of Geisha's quality acidity, so they choose medium-light roasting (with slight adjustments for different batches). This roast level doesn't significantly change the high hardness of high-altitude beans, so brewing requires a higher extraction rate to present fuller flavor layers. This involves using higher water temperature and slightly finer grind size to extract more aromatic compounds. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee wants clearer flavor expression in Geisha coffee, so they use a slightly larger coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16.

To improve Geisha coffee extraction rate while avoiding over-extraction while highlighting sweet and sour flavor layers, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas use the V60 dripper. The V60 dripper features flow ribs connecting the top and bottom and a large central hole that accelerate water flow, while the spiral-shaped air groove design extends the water flow path, increasing contact time between coffee grounds and hot water. Each water flow converges along the grooves toward the dripper's center point, concentrating pressure on the coffee grounds and resulting in richer layered extraction.

Below, FrontStreet Coffee demonstrates the brewing steps for La Esmeralda Red Label Natural Geisha as served in their store. Everyone can reference and compare with their own brewing approach.

The pour-over parameters for Red Label Geisha coffee are: Dripper: V60, Water temperature: 92°C, Coffee amount: 15g, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16, Grind size: Fine sugar size (sieved to 80% through #20 sieve)

Fold the filter paper to fit snugly with the dripper, wet the filter paper with a small amount of water to make it adhere better, and pour out the water from the lower pot. Then pour in the coffee grounds and tap gently to distribute the powder layer evenly. For the first pour, gently inject 30g of water for blooming, with a blooming time of 30 seconds. For the second pour, inject to about 125g of water, circling evenly and steadily outward. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it reaches halfway, inject the final water to 240g. After waiting for all the coffee to drip through, the total extraction time is generally around 2 minutes.

The pour-over La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha coffee tastes fresh with jasmine, citrus, and tropical fruit acidity. The flavor layers change with temperature variations, the overall mouthfeel is smooth, and the aftertaste has a pleasant tea aroma.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473