Panama Geisha Coffee Top Estate - Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Grading System Introduction

Panama Coffee

When it comes to Panama coffee, FrontStreet Coffee must mention Hacienda La Esmeralda. Hacienda La Esmeralda is both the discoverer and promoter of Geisha flavor. From the Geisha varieties they have launched, we can see their emphasis on Geisha and quality assurance. Speaking of Hacienda La Esmeralda's quality control capabilities, FrontStreet Coffee must mention their grading system. Hacienda La Esmeralda created its own grading system, classifying Geisha coffee beans by different grades.

Climate has shaped Panama's coffee. Bordering Costa Rica and Colombia, Panama's east-to-west environment allows cold air currents to flow through the central mountain range and converge at altitudes above 6,500 meters. This creates a very unique microclimate in the Boquete and Piedra de Candela regions, with temperatures and rainfall perfectly suited for plant growth. This microclimate region is the main production area for Panama coffee. In addition to the climate, the surrounding land is rich in nutrients, and the fertile soil provides perfect growing conditions for coffee, cultivating numerous unique, high-quality coffees.

Beyond natural factors, FrontStreet Coffee also understands that there's another important reason why Panama coffee has gained worldwide attention. FrontStreet Coffee believes that since the late 20th century, Panama coffee development can be said to have had a privileged start. Because the United States helped build the Panama Canal in the late 20th century and also controlled it independently for a period, a large number of American elites moved to Panama, partly for work needs and partly to explore business opportunities. Hacienda La Esmeralda is a testament to this elite trend era.

Janson Estate

In 2013, when the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) awarded the Best Panama Coffee prize, there was a new finalist! It was the Geisha variety from Janson Estate! Also known as the "Champagne of the coffee world." With full jasmine fragrance and delicate berry notes, it has a clean taste with honey and lychee flavors.

Geisha has full sweetness, an extremely clean taste, and rich aromas that range from berries and citrus to mango, papaya, and peach. A very distinct bergamot-like aftertaste is also its typical cupping characteristic. To date, Geisha has been the champion among coffee varieties. Janson Geisha is less heard of domestically because Janson Estate primarily focuses on domestic sales rather than exports. In this high-altitude, nutrient-rich volcanic soil with abundant rainfall and suitable temperatures, Janson Estate has gradually become the second-largest Geisha producer among Panama's estates, with 50% of the estate planted with Geisha variety coffee trees.

Hartmann Estate

At Panama's Hartmann Estate, we see people growing coffee while consistently following green environmental requirements. The farm's compost is made from pulp and cherry skins. Curious about what kind of coffee flavor would be produced under such conditions, we couldn't wait to brew a cup of Hartmann. It has a pure flavor, sweet and bright tones, with rich honey flavor, and carries the sweet aroma of stone fruits. Every inch of the mouth is filled with mellow milk chocolate taste, and it remains delicious even when cooled. Besides the excellent local climate conditions, careful cultivation and strict picking and selection, its perfect taste also comes from a special processing method—the red wine processing method.

Hartmann Estate has a very wide variety of coffee varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Pacamara, Maragogipe, and Geisha.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Estate (Bouquete)

Hacienda La Esmeralda is located at a corner of Baru Volcano, so coffee beans produced in this area were mostly named after Baru Mountain before becoming famous. The surrounding area of Boquete is scenic, with many leisure hotels, villas, and vacation estates, even built along the important river Rio Caldera. Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in Jaramillo on the right side of this river, and later planted coffee at higher altitudes in Canas Verdes on the left side of the river. This is all thanks to Rudolph Peterson's decision to purchase this property back then.

Rudolph A. Peterson, First Generation Owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda

In 1964, Swedish-American financier Rudolph A. Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and bought Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, focusing on dairy farming. Having served as president of Bank of America, he was a major figure in the financial circles of that time. Rudolph bought Hacienda La Esmeralda only for vacation and later retirement use, probably not expecting that this estate would become world-famous and even become a representative of Panama specialty coffee estates. In 1973, his son Price Peterson earned a doctorate in neurochemistry in the United States but returned to Boquete to help his father run the farm. After Price took over, he segmented the market into three major brands for sales based on altitude and microclimate, cupping performance, and planted varieties (Esmeralda Special, Diamond Mountain grows, Palmyra). In 2012, Geisha was added, becoming four brands.

[Hacienda La Esmeralda] actually includes 4 farms: Cades Verdes, El Velo, Jaramillo, and Palmira. All coffee beans are sent to these 4 farms for post-processing. The first farm purchased by the owner Peterson family was Palmira.

I. Esmeralda Special, which is the independent auction organized by Hacienda La Esmeralda itself, is completely based on Geisha, divided by production area names, and each area is further subdivided into small batches for auction. Only Geisha batches that Hacienda La Esmeralda puts up for independent auction can use the Esmeralda Special name. Since 2013, Esmeralda Special has had nine batches.

El Velo Farm of Hacienda La Esmeralda

El Velo Farm was acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2012 and is the newest farm in the estate. FrontStreet Coffee understands that this farm has obtained Rainforest Alliance Certification, proving Hacienda La Esmeralda's coffee base's friendliness and awareness of environmental protection. El Velo Farm covers 50 hectares. In addition to planting Geisha and Catuai varieties, the farm also plants a small amount of exotic varieties such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28, as well as over 400 other varieties obtained from CATIE, all planned as part of the farm's long-term commercial exploration.

Although the land of this farm winds upward along the mountain range at altitudes up to 3,900 meters, the coffee cultivation altitude is between 1,650 and 1,900 meters. FrontStreet Coffee also understands that there is a nature reserve here, home to the famous Resplendent Quetzal and other endangered birds.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's special micro-batches are called Prueba batches. Prueba means "experiment, test" in Spanish. In the continuous process of improving coffee quality, besides tireless efforts in variety selection and cultivation, Hacienda La Esmeralda continuously tries new methods in processing. Prueba 4 is a special innovative batch from Hacienda La Esmeralda's special reserve plots. Since 2004, this rare coffee cultivation reserve plot has won over 15 international awards. Coffee produced here does not participate in Hacienda La Esmeralda auctions and is sold in small batches through direct trade.

Currently, Hacienda La Esmeralda mainly has three estates planting Geisha varieties: El Velo, Caas Verdes, and Jaramillo. In 1996, they acquired the nearby Jaramillo, which had superior geographical environment and good-flavored original coffee varieties. El Velo was acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2012. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Hacienda La Esmeralda's decision to acquire estates with good production and high altitudes was unique at that time, which also enabled Hacienda La Esmeralda to occupy a certain position in the coffee industry.

FrontStreet Coffee understands that although Hacienda La Esmeralda initially discovered coffee beans with flavor performance, for precision, they cupped coffee beans from different areas in the estate and determined planting plots based on altitude. This is why we now have the Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label Geisha grades, all classified by altitude.

Starting from winning the championship in the Panama Green Bean Competition BOP in 2004, it continued to amaze. Later, after expert identification, it was discovered that this coffee bean was the Geisha variety from Ethiopia. Afterward, the Peterson family put most of their energy into developing infrastructure to support excellent batch separation and fine processing.

Geisha Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the biggest difference between Hacienda La Esmeralda's marketing strategy and other estates is that they are divided into five major brands based on cupping performance, planted varieties, and planted plots. There are three brands for Geisha varieties: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. There are two brands for Catuai varieties: Diamond Mountain grows and Palmyra.

Red Label Geisha

Geisha produced by Esmeralda Special is what we commonly call the Red Label.

Selected from Geisha beans planted at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, produced in the two regions of Jaramillo and Canas Verdes.

The independent auction organized by Hacienda La Esmeralda itself - only Geisha batches from designated plots that are put up for auction can be called auction Red Labels. Customers often ask whether auction Red Labels or regular Red Labels taste better. In fact, non-auction Red Labels and auction Red Labels come from the same plot, with the only difference being whether they participated in the auction. FrontStreet Coffee believes it's not necessary to drink auction-level coffee - one reason is the high price, and another is that if you just want to try it, Red Label is also a good choice.

This grade of coffee will be processed into natural or washed green beans. In 2018, yeast processing was added. It can only be purchased through the annual global auction, with flavors featuring special, bright floral and citrus aromas.

Green Label Geisha

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, is not an independent competition batch. It's a micro-batch blend of Geisha varieties planted at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters from different plots like Jaramillo and Canas Verdes that don't participate in auctions but still have excellent quality.

People often ask about the difference between Red Label and Green Label. FrontStreet Coffee gives the most straightforward answer: Red Label can be traced back to a specific small plot, while Green Label is a blend that cannot be traced. Because it uses a blending model without detailed plot markings, sometimes Green Label and Red Label can have very similar flavor profiles, but the next batch might be different. FrontStreet Coffee feels that drinking Green Label is like buying a lottery ticket - perhaps this batch you're drinking tastes like Red Label.

Although Green Label is not as high-grade as Red Label, it still carries the classic Geisha flavors - floral, fruit, citrus acidity, and thick, juicy texture. Green Label Geisha also has both washed and natural processing.

Blue Label Geisha

The Geisha 1500 brand is what we commonly know as Blue Label Geisha. Selected from a blend of different plots at altitudes of 1400-1500 meters from Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo. The flavor has subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less full-bodied texture. Currently, the Blue Label brand has been discontinued by Hacienda La Esmeralda, and this batch of Geisha is exported for sale, becoming Volcanic Rock Geisha coffee beans. Geisha produced in this region is exported for sale, becoming Volcanic Rock Geisha coffee beans, with the same flavor as the original Blue Label. Volcanic Rock flavor features light floral notes, fruit sweetness and acidity, with a texture that's not as full as the other two brands.

II. Geisha, which is the Geisha variety but not an independent competition batch, is a blend of high-quality non-auction beans from various production areas. It's still the Geisha variety, and this brand strategy has been in use since 2012.

III. Diamond Mountain grows, Hacienda La Esmeralda's traditional varieties, planted in the Canas Verdes and Jaramillo regions at altitudes of approximately 1400-1700 meters. The coffee has complex flavors with distinct chocolate and spice sweetness. The planted coffee varieties are standard Central American blends, including Typica, Bourbon, and Catuai. Diamond Mountain is eco-friendly and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee.

IV. Palmyra, this brand's coffee is located near Baru Volcano Park area and belongs to Hacienda La Esmeralda's commercial beans. At altitudes of 1100-1200 meters, all planted with Catuai variety. Although this belongs to lower altitude planting, it's not specialty-grade but has typical Panama Bouquete coffee flavor - acidity that's not too stimulating, with nutty sweetness and vanilla.

Roasting Suggestions and Cupping Flavors

When roasting these three different grades of Geisha coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's main approach is to highlight Geisha's rich floral aromas and bright, variable fruit acidity characteristics, using light roasting techniques. However, FrontStreet Coffee considers that each grade has different growing environments, so roasting details need corresponding adjustments.

[Red Label Geisha]

Dry Aroma: Jasmine, citrus

Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon, honey

Taste: Lemon, honey, berries, orange peel, mango, cream, citrus, tea sensation

[Green Label Geisha]

Dry Aroma: Jasmine, ginger flower

Wet Aroma: Lemon, sweet orange

Taste: Lemon, sweet orange, honey, cream, almond, tea sensation

[Blue Label Geisha]

Dry Aroma: Floral, citrus

Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon

Taste: Citrus, lemon, honey, nuts, tea sensation

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions for Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label Geisha:

FrontStreet Coffee suggests using these brewing parameters: Hario V60 dripper, 91°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind setting EK43s scale 10 (Chinese standard 20 mesh sieve passing rate 80%).

[Brewing Technique]

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, also called three-stage brewing. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a small circular motion to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from the bloom). Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description

[Red Label] Has bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricots, complex fruits, honey, with a thick juice-like texture, rich flavor layers, and obvious sweetness.

[Green Label] Rich jasmine floral aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like texture, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, with overall rich flavor layers and a lasting aftertaste of flowers and citrus.

[Blue Label] Floral notes, with soft acidity of lemon and grapefruit on entry, honey sweetness in the middle, and oolong tea sensation and brown sugar sweetness in the finish, with a relatively clean and bright texture.

Important Notice :

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