One of the World's Top Ten Coffee Bean Varieties: Is the Premium Floral Goddess Geisha Coffee an Arabica?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Geisha Coffee Varieties

Have you ever heard people say that there are only two types of specialty coffee beans: one is Geisha coffee, and all other Arabica coffees are considered the second type? While this might be somewhat of an exaggerated joke, it's undeniable that Geisha coffee is widely recognized as the most noble coffee bean among specialty coffees, especially over the past fifteen years. Today, Cool Lab will guide you through the history and legends of this Geisha coffee to enhance your understanding of these exceptional coffee beans!

The Origin of Geisha Coffee

Geisha coffee beans do not originate from Japan. They were named because the place where they grow, a mountain in Ethiopia called Gesha, happens to have the same pronunciation as the traditional Japanese "Geisha." Some people also transliterate it as "Guixia coffee." Although the original home of these coffee beans is Gesha Mountain in southwestern Africa, they were later introduced to Panama where they weren't very popular among coffee farmers due to their low yields. However, Geisha is a derivative of Arabica, and its genetic potential had yet to be fully discovered.

But that all changed when La Esmeralda farm in Panama made this coffee bean shine at the 2004 Panama cupping competition, and from then on, Geisha's reputation spread far and wide! Another reason is that Geisha coffee production is relatively scarce, so when people equate price with quality, Geisha coffee instantly became a legend. At the 2019 coffee auction, Panama's Geisha coffee continued to hold the throne of the most expensive coffee at a staggering price of $1029 per pound!

What Makes Geisha Coffee Special?

Since winning the Panama cupping competition, Geisha coffee's reputation has spread rapidly. It's a basic supply and demand principle - when production is limited but many people want to try it, the bidding prices for Geisha coffee have soared straight up. From $350.25 per pound in 2013, to $803 per pound in 2018, and now reaching $1029 per pound. It keeps breaking its own price records every year, and although more coffee farmers have started planting Geisha coffee, the upward trend in prices seems unstoppable.

But now that you know the price and history of this Geisha coffee, do you think these beans are worth trying? Absolutely! Because Geisha has a unique flavor! The Yirgacheffe coffee available on the market has some similar taste characteristics to Geisha coffee, but the flavor notes contained in Yirgacheffe are not as rich and profound.

Knowledge Point: A single Geisha coffee tree produces only half the amount of coffee beans as the Catuai variety.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research center dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our comprehensive sharing is aimed solely at helping more friends fall in love with coffee. We hold three low-discount coffee events every month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices - this has been our mission for the past six years!

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