Is Geisha Coffee an Arabica? What is Geisha Coffee and How Does It Taste?

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Introduction to FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Geisha Coffee

The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia and later sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. It was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, and to Costa Rica in 1953.

For a long time, not many people paid attention to Geisha. It wasn't until one day when Don Pachi initially brought Geisha from the small town of GESHA in southwestern Ethiopia to Costa Rica, and then Geisha traveled along the southern route into Panama. The Esmeralda Estate in Panama separated it from other varieties and won the national coffee championship, officially bringing Geisha into the public eye.

Geisha coffee is particularly picky about its growing environment, requiring high altitude, cloud and shade protection, fertile soil, and sufficient accumulated temperature. Aurora Coffee Estate is located in the northwestern corner of Chiriqui Province, Panama, with an average altitude of 1625 meters, annual average temperature between 16°C to 25°C, and average rainfall of approximately 3500 millimeters. The plantation uses semi-shade cultivation, with tree species all from local varieties, some of which are high-altitude Hass avocado trees. It is precisely this unique environment and climate that can cultivate the king of coffees.

Geisha is pronounced similarly to the Japanese word "geisha," so it is also known as Geisha coffee. Because the tree variety is taller than typical coffee trees, it was originally planted in a small area within the estate and used as a windbreak.

Before 2004, nobody knew about Geisha coffee. Currently, it seems there are several reasons for this: Geisha coffee was mixed and cultivated with other coffee varieties; Geisha coffee was not grown at high altitudes (in Brazil and Costa Rica, Geisha branches and hybrid varieties were planted in low-altitude areas, until 1997 when the Daniel Peterson family planted Geisha in the Jaramillo plot at an altitude of 1650 meters); it had never been showcased as a single-origin coffee to demonstrate its flavor characteristics.

It wasn't until the Best of Panama green coffee competition in 2004 that Daniel Peterson from La Esmeralda presented unblended Geisha coffee to the competition judges. Geisha coffee won the championship in that competition, and the legend began from there, with a price of US $21/lb at the time.

Geisha

With slightly slender fruits and leaves, Geisha is a genetic mutation of Typica, said to originate from the small town of Geisha in southwestern Ethiopia. In the 1930s, Geisha seeds were transported to Tanzania, and in the 1950s, they traveled to Costa Rica. These two countries are the only important growing countries for Geisha outside of Panama—although Panama is the best representative of Geisha.

In Panama's high-altitude growing regions, Geisha has proven to the world with its tropical flavors, citrus and tea characteristics that it is an undisputed coffee variety (note: Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is known as the king of coffees). Everyone loves good coffee, and we sincerely hope Geisha can reach other countries.

Thanks to Boquete's unique climate, with distinct dry and wet seasons, abundant sunshine and rainfall, and fertile soil formed from volcanic ash originating from Baru Volcano, the Elida Estate's coffee cultivation quickly developed its own character. In 1929, the estate's coffee beans were first exported to Germany, earning a good reputation for Panama coffee. In the three-quarters of a century that followed, as a family estate, Elida's coffee cultivation continued to develop, forming its international reputation. It presents distinct black berry flavors upon entry, very clean and full-bodied, with good oiliness, excellent balance of sweet and sour sensations, high-altitude tomato flavors, and a very persistent oily texture.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473