Geisha Coffee Flavor Profile & Characteristics | Brewing Methods Guide

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FrontStreet Coffee - Panama La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha Brewing Guide

The Geisha variety was first discovered in the Gori Gesha forest. It gained widespread recognition in 2004 at the Panama Coffee Competition, but its story is that of an outsider prince who successfully became a new king. The Geisha coffee tree was discovered in Ethiopia, then made its way through Kenya's coffee research institute to many African countries like Uganda and Tanzania, where it remained an unappreciated coffee variety, used only for research purposes.

Later, when someone introduced Geisha to Costa Rica, it was brought to Panama through the connections of Don Pachi Estate. Various estates could be seen with some Geisha trees because they were used as windbreaks for coffee trees - yes, you read that correctly, windbreaks. Moreover, Geisha trees had unstable yields and were often mixed with regular coffee beans, making them not a primary coffee product.

In 2003, Geisha first won first place in Best of Panama, produced by the renowned La Esmeralda Estate. Many baristas were amazed when tasting Geisha for the first time, creating a Cinderella story feeling where the once-inconspicuous windbreak tree transformed into a star coffee tree. In the decade that followed and continuing to this day, Geisha remains the top choice in major cupping competitions and coffee contests, surpassing star coffee beans like Blue Mountain and Kona to become the market's premium mainstream.

Geisha coffee features more intense and diverse floral and fruit aromas, with rich tropical fruit sweetness that displays distinct layers, bright and complex floral and fragrant notes, multi-layered high-sweetness fruit tones, and delicate soft acidity. The Geisha variety needs to be planted at higher altitudes. In Panama, the best Geisha is grown above 1,700 meters. Some estates, like Elida Estate, plant Geisha at 1,700-1,950 meters, with extremely low yields.

FrontStreet Coffee offers Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label from La Esmeralda Estate. The three coffee grades determine different flavor profiles. Today, we'll brew a Blue Label using a Kalita Wave dripper to see what flavors it presents.

Panama La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha

Origin: Panama

Region: Boquete

Estate: La Esmeralda

Grade: SHB

Growing Altitude: 1,500M

Processing Method: Washed

Roast Level: Light Roast

Brewing Parameters:

Water Temperature: 91°C; Grind: Medium-fine (BG 6S: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve), Ratio: 1:15

15g coffee grounds, pre-infuse with 30g water for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g, create a pause. Continue pouring to 230g when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from pre-infusion) Extraction time: 2'00"

Flavor Notes:

The first sip reveals distinct citrus, lemon, and bergamot flavors, with fresh jasmine and ginger flower aromatics, accompanied by honey sweetness and green tea notes.

Knowledge Extension:

The most famous Geisha growing region is Boquete, Panama - a small town located on the eastern foothills of Baru Volcano.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473