Differences Between Geisha Red Label, Blue Label, and Green Label - Introduction to Panama Geisha Coffee Flavor

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FrontStreet Coffee - Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Grading and Brewing Guide

Hacienda La Esmeralda currently has four major plots: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, Palmira, and El Velo. Based on years of experimentation, the estate found that only Geisha grown above 1400 meters can express its characteristic flavors. Hacienda La Esmeralda therefore classifies its Geisha by cultivation altitude into Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label.

Red Label - Auction Batch

This may be considered the world's finest Geisha coffee, available only through the annual global auction. Grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters with cupping scores above 90 points, it is mainly produced on the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes estates, with beans harvested from the highest reaches of the Boquete mountain region that possess especially bright floral aromas and citrus notes.

Esmeralda SPECIAL is an independent auction organized by Hacienda La Esmeralda itself, in which all auction beans are Geisha, categorized by production area name, with each area further subdivided into smaller lots for auction. Only Geisha lots that the estate puts forward for independent auction may use the Esmeralda Special (that is, "Red Label") name.

Blue Label - Select Batch

This is the lowest grade of the three labels, grown at altitudes of 1500 meters. It is a blend from three different estates: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo. The flavor leans toward fruity acidity and floral notes, is relatively sweet, has a relatively lighter body, and is processed using the washed method only.

Green Label - Reserve Batch

This can be thought of as the "daily drinking grade" among Geisha coffees. Grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, it is a blend of micro-lots from three different estates: Jaramillo, Quiel, and Cañas Verdes. Although not the highest grade, the classic flavors of Panamanian Geisha are already present in the Green Label - floral notes, fruit aromas, bright fruit acidity, and a thick, juicy mouthfeel.

Brewing Guide

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-Over

Because the Green Label Geisha has multiple layers of flavor and rich floral aromas, FrontStreet Coffee recommends a Hario V60 dripper with a relatively fast flow rate to showcase those layers and florals. The powder-to-water ratio can be set at 1:16. For beans with rich, layered flavor, a larger powder-to-water ratio actually lets us perceive their flavors more clearly.

Parameters

Water temperature: 90-91°C; Grind size: medium-fine (BG 6S: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve); Powder-to-water ratio: 1:16; use a segmented extraction method for brewing.

Use 30g of water for blooming and bloom for 30 seconds; center-pour with a medium water flow to 125g in segments, then when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, increase the flow to 240g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom.) Extraction time: 2'05".

Flavor Notes

Ginger flower and jasmine floral aromas, with citrus, cream, lemon, cane sugar, and black tea flavors on the palate.

Knowledge Expansion

The 2007 champion - an unidentified coffee bean. It was not until that year that experts identified it as the Geisha variety from Ethiopia, whereas before that it was basically considered Typica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

La Esmeralda is where Geisha first became a legend, and FrontStreet Coffee carries the estate's two most distinctive lines. The FrontStreet Emerald Red Label Geisha - properly known as Esmeralda Special - grows at 1600-1800 meters, cups above 90 points, and comes from a single plot such as Jaramillo, so each lot has its own number and a subtly different flavor for buyers to choose from. The FrontStreet Emerald Green Label Geisha, or Private Collection, blends lots from several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha character at a friendlier price.

For the origins of the variety itself, the FrontStreet Gesha Village Gold Label is grown from the Gesha 1931 variety and accounts for 10 percent of the village's total production, often chosen by baristas heading into competition. If you want an easy way into what Geisha can be, the FrontStreet Boquete Geisha is an entry-level Panamanian lot with the classic orange-blossom honeyed notes, oolong tea body, and delicate fruit acidity. FrontStreet roasts its Geisha medium-light, grinds to about 78 percent pass-through on the China standard #20 sieve, and brews at 91°C with 15g of coffee, a 1:16 ratio, and a three-pour method over roughly 2:10 to 2:20.