How is the Goddess Geisha Coffee? Flavor Characteristics of Colombian Geisha Coffee Bean Varieties

How is Geisha Coffee, the "Goddess" of Coffee?

Geisha seedlings were first discovered and collected in the wild forests of southwestern Ethiopia, with the initial purpose of finding new disease-resistant varieties. They were named after the nearby Geisha Mountain. In 1954, they were brought to Costa Rica and recorded as T2722. During the 1950s and 1960s, they were trial-planted in many coffee farms throughout Central and South America but were not widely cultivated due to their low yield and fragile plant weakness. It wasn't until 2003 that they were discovered by the Peterson family of Hacienda La Esmeralda, and after winning the Best of Panama competition in 2004, the era of Panamanian Geisha began.

Geisha is extremely particular about its growing environment, requiring high altitude, fertile soil, cloud cover or plant shade, and cannot be directly exposed to intense sunlight. The owner of Hacienda La Esmeralda has mentioned that the estate needs numerous shade trees to protect the delicate Geisha from direct sunlight, and traditional pruning methods must be adopted during the initial planting period, otherwise the plants are prone to death. Geisha planted at higher altitudes takes longer to mature, developing more complex and unique flavor profiles.

Unlike other coffee varieties, Geisha coffee trees have a very thin leaf system, meaning their photosynthesis efficiency is quite low. Additionally, their root systems are fragile, with slow absorption of water and nutrients, resulting in very low coffee yields. Combined with the high-altitude growing environment, the coffee cherries also mature later. The fruit yield of a Geisha coffee tree is only half that of the Caturra variety, which is one of the reasons why Geisha is so precious.

Flavor Characteristics of Geisha Coffee

In 1931, Geisha made an unremarkable journey from Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (coincidentally pronounced similarly to the Japanese word for geisha) to Kenya, wandering through Tanzania and Costa Rica, and in the 1960s, it was transplanted to Panama. After nearly half a century of obscurity, it suddenly rose to fame, defeating perennial champions like Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica, sweeping first prizes in the Panama Cup of Excellence competitions in 2005, 2006, and 2007.

Geisha coffee beans are world-renowned for their intense floral aroma, citrus and berry notes, juicy texture, increasingly delicate acidity at lower temperatures, and richly layered flavor profile. The entire coffee cultivation in Panama centers around the Chiriquí volcanic region. Geisha coffee beans are quite particular about their growing environment. They require cultivation at higher altitudes, with cloud cover or extensive shade tree protection, and fertile soil conditions to produce their captivating floral aromas, refined fruit acidity, and richly layered flavors.

When it comes to Geisha coffee, those from Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama are considered the finest, largely due to Panama's microclimate environment that creates the distinctive flavors of Panamanian Geisha. After Geisha became famous, estates worldwide began cultivating it. FrontStreet Coffee has sourced Geisha coffee not only from Panama but also from Colombia, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. While Panamanian Geisha is exceptional, Geisha from other producing regions also offers excellent flavor profiles!

Colombian Coffee Growing Environment

Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee exporter, primarily producing Arabica coffee, and is the largest exporter of Arabica beans. Colombia is rich in natural resources, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds being celebrated as the "four treasures." Located in the northwest of the South American continent, Colombia shares a border with Panama in Central America. From an aerial view, its western side appears as if scratched by a cat, leaving three vertical claw marks from north to south. The country's famous producing regions are scattered throughout these Andes Mountains, which contain fertile volcanic soil.

Colombia's Huila province is located at the intersection of the central and eastern Andes mountain ranges, situated in southern Colombia. Huila's coffee growing area centers around Pitalito, with coffee cultivation at altitudes of 1750-1950m, primarily following smallholder farming models. In the past decade, small coffee farmers have worked collaboratively, with coffee cherries harvested by hand and carefully processed, ultimately transforming into specialty coffee beans that showcase the distinctive flavors of the Huila region. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped multiple coffees from the Huila region, all featuring nutty, caramel aromas and soft berry-like acidity.

Huila Province, Colombia

The Herrera family of Colombia's "La Esperanza" farm introduced Geisha coffee from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2007. Despite initial failures, after years of experimental cultivation efforts, they won first place in the "Coffees of the Year" competition held by the Specialty Coffee Association of America in Houston in April 2011.

Colombia's Huila province is located at the intersection of the central and eastern Andes mountain ranges, situated in southern Colombia. Huila's coffee growing area centers around Pitalito, with coffee cultivation at altitudes of 1750-1950m, primarily following smallholder farming models. In the past decade, small coffee farmers have worked collaboratively, with coffee cherries harvested by hand and carefully processed, ultimately transforming into specialty coffee beans that showcase the distinctive flavors of the Huila region.

Finca Montblanco

Finca Montblanco is located on the winding mountain roads of Vereda La Tocora near Pitalito, operated by coffee estate owner Rodrigo Sanchez Valencia, whose coffee cultivation traces back to his grandfather. Montblanco Estate sits atop a hill, with approximately 18 hectares of land. The estate has abundant water resources and well-equipped washing and drying facilities, so most of the coffee beans produced there undergo washed processing, including special processing methods derived from the washed process.

Hanami Geisha Coffee

Hanami Geisha Coffee comes from Colombia's most famous Huila region. Colombian coffee is well-known to many, and Colombia is highly renowned in the specialty coffee world. The Huila region represents Colombia's classic flavor profile, featuring nutty and caramel notes with berry-like acidity. The Hanami coffee bean is a blend of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai varieties processed using the classic traditional washed method. At high temperatures, it presents strong chamomile and pink pepper notes; at medium temperatures, Geisha flavors are particularly prominent with wo citrus and honey notes; at lower temperatures, there's slight bitterness with almond notes.

Coffee Varieties

This Geisha blend coffee bean acquired by FrontStreet Coffee is composed of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai varieties. Initially, the estate planted Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties. In 2016, the owner and his team introduced Geisha varieties from Panama, with the first harvest in 2020 and reaching commercial production levels by 2021. Therefore, this coffee bean represents Montblanco Estate's first Geisha coffee beans available on the market.

At this point, some might ask whether this coffee bean can still be considered a single-origin coffee bean. Single-origin coffee refers to coffee beans grown in a single (same) coffee region/estate, not necessarily a single variety of coffee bean. Therefore, this Geisha blend coffee bean qualifies as single-origin coffee.

The Geisha variety has beautiful, narrow leaves, and its cherries and green beans are slightly elongated compared to other Arabica coffees. It is sensitive to growing conditions, exhibits excellent flavor profiles when grown at high altitudes, and has low yields.

Caturra: A natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. While inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has weaker disease resistance but higher yields. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for growing there and therefore wasn't cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, with extensive cultivation in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian "Flower Moon Night" and "Rose Valley" coffees are both Caturra varieties.

Catuai: A coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai inherited Caturra's compact plant structure, requiring no shade, making it easy to grow and convenient to harvest. It also has better resistance to natural disasters than Mundo Novo and possesses good acidity in its flavor profile. Catuai typically produces both red and yellow cherry types.

Washed Processing Method

Colombia is a major producer of washed coffee and is the largest country producing washed Arabica. Therefore, most coffee beans undergo washed processing. The estate first conducts floating selection of harvested cherries, removing insufficient density/rotten coffee cherries as well as branches and stones. Next, machines are used to remove the skin and pulp. The depulped cherries are placed in fermentation tanks for 18-36 hours, with the purpose of removing the mucilage layer through acids produced during fermentation. After fermentation, the coffee cherries are thoroughly cleaned, and finally sun-dried to reduce the coffee bean moisture content to around 11%. The sun-dried coffee beans are stored with parchment until just before export, when the parchment is removed.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

Due to the high moisture content of new crop green beans, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters extend the dehydration time during the roasting process to ensure even heating of the bean surface and core. To showcase the sweetness, acidity, and rich aromatics of this bean, a medium-light roast level is used.

FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Geisha Brewing Parameters:

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-fine grind/sugar-like coarseness (80% pass-through rate with China #20 standard sieve). Using 15g of coffee grounds, then pairing with a V60 dripper, 91°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and a three-pour infusion technique for brewing.

Using a three-stage extraction, begin with a bloom using twice the weight of coffee grounds in water - that is, 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. The blooming process is necessary to allow the coffee grounds to release internal carbon dioxide gas, thereby ensuring more stable extraction in subsequent stages. With a small water stream, pour in a circular motion to 125g, then continue pouring to 225g and stop. Remove the dripper once the water has finished dripping through. Timing starts from the beginning of pouring, with an extraction time of 2'00". Next, take the entire cup of coffee and shake it gently to ensure even mixing before pouring into cups for tasting.

Colombian Hanami Geisha Coffee Flavor Profile: Bright, lively, and varied acidity; intense floral and fruity aromas; medium body; balanced and smooth mouthfeel; long, sweet aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations:

Regarding coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly influences coffee flavor. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Quality Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee possible. The coffee resting period is approximately 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

For those who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee offers a gentle reminder: once coffee beans are pre-ground, there's no need for a resting period, as the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging during transportation also helps round out the coffee flavors. Therefore, you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving ground coffee. However, ground coffee should be brewed promptly, as it oxidizes relatively quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee's flavors will dissipate more rapidly, diminishing the overall quality. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavors.

With the advancement of specialty coffee, Colombia has also introduced anaerobic processing methods for coffee beans beyond traditional washed processing, such as Colombian "Flower Moon Night" and "Rose Valley," which feature additional floral, berry, and fermented notes compared to washed processed coffees. Washed coffees are cleaner, with nutty, dark chocolate notes and soft fruit acidity. FrontStreet Coffee believes that washed processed coffees best showcase local flavors, but special processing methods also offer very interesting flavor profiles!

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