Introduction to 90 Plus Coffee Bean Varieties and a Look Forward

A good cup of coffee can make the mouth water before you have even taken a sip. Today the subject is not a single estate but a company, and one of the varieties that built its reputation.

FrontStreet Coffee: 90+ Estate Perci Coffee

90 Plus is an American company founded by Joseph Brodsky in 2006. Brodsky began his work amid the excitement created by the appearance of Geisha in Panama in 2003 and 2004. When he did not find what he expected in Panama at the time, he turned to another idea: perhaps among Ethiopia's more than 10,000 coffee varieties there were still undiscovered lots with real potential.

To protect quality, 90 Plus works through a cooperative model with local estates and keeps full control from planting and sampling to harvesting, processing and cupping. Its exclusive Profile Processing ensures that every coffee it produces carries a unique and stable flavor profile and quality. The company markets its coffee the way a fine wine house would, and that is a large part of why it stands out.

The company works with 13 coffee varieties, which it introduces one by one:

Kemgin, Tchembe, Hachira, Nekisse, Nekisse Red, Nekisse Ruby, Juliette, Lecello, Perci, Perci Red, Perci Ruby, Sililvia Solkiln, Lotus Solkiln

Today's focus is one of them, Perci.

Perci

The name comes from "perspective," in the sense of a point of view. Perci refers to the distinctive and startling sensation that appears when this coffee is evaluated across the whole sensory range as usual, producing a perception of coffee different from what came before.

Origin: Ninety Plus Panama Geisha Estate

Altitude: 1400-1800m

Processing Method: Natural

Flavor Profile: Intense cherry, carob, vanilla, plum, honey peach and a distinct juice-like sensation.

Knowledge Extension: All of 90 Plus's green beans come from original Ethiopian varieties, including the Geisha at the Panama estate, which was itself transplanted from Ethiopian heirloom stock. Processing is where the company excels. It classifies its coffees by variety and climate and deliberately designs a processing method for each flavor it wants to reach.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If 90 Plus is one route into the Geisha family, the FrontStreet lineup is another, and it covers the range from everyday to collector grade. FrontStreet Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha is the headline: officially Esmeralda Special, grown between 1600 and 1800 meters, cupped above 90 points for every lot, and traceable to a single small plot, each batch carrying its own number so a buyer can choose by the finest shades of flavor. FrontStreet Panama Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, sold as Private Collection, blends several plots instead of insisting on one, which keeps the high-altitude signature of the estate at a friendlier price and makes it a strong value.

For an easier introduction, FrontStreet Boquete Geisha brings the orange-honey and oolong-tea character of a classic Panama Geisha within reach. Ethiopia, the birthplace of the variety, has its own answers: FrontStreet Geisha Village Gold Label is the Geisha 1931 selection and the estate's top non-auction coffee, naturally processed for layered complexity, while FrontStreet Geisha Village Red Label, from the Gori Gesha variety, scores 88 or above and comes with full traceability. FrontStreet Grana Estate Geisha rounds out the group, a naturally processed Ethiopian Geisha dried on raised beds for 14-20 days and roasted medium-light for bright citrus, ginger-flower aroma and ripe-fruit sweetness. Brew any of them on a V60 with 15g at 1:16 and 91°C, ground so roughly 78% passes a No. 20 sieve, and they reward the care.