Notable Panama Coffee, Panama Geisha Coffee, Flavor Characteristics of Panama Coffee Beans

Introduction to FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Geisha Coffee

Geisha is an extremely rare coffee variety that has captivated connoisseurs worldwide for more than five years. It is considered the brightest, most complex, and most intensely aromatic coffee variety there is.

Introduction

The Geisha variety was discovered in the Geisha Forest of Ethiopia in 1931 and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. In 1936 it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania. Costa Rica brought it in 1953, and Panama began growing Geisha coffee in the 1970s, when Mr. Francisco Serracin of the Hacienda La Esmeralda farm received seeds from CATIE in Costa Rica. Because of its extremely low yield and the competitive bidding it attracts, these beans are considered precious and hard to obtain.

History

In 1931, Geisha was quietly exported from Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (coincidentally sharing its pronunciation with the Japanese word for geisha) to Kenya. From there it traveled through Tanzania and Costa Rica and eventually reached Panama. After nearly half a century of obscurity, it suddenly rose to prominence, defeating long-established champions such as Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica. It swept first prize at the Panama National Bean Cupping Competition in 2005, 2006, and 2007. In 2007 it won again at the International Bean Cupping Competition hosted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), with a bidding price of $130 per pound - the highest price ever recorded for competition beans.

Reportedly, later Panama National Bean competitions were split into Geisha and non-Geisha categories to keep Geisha from overshadowing other varieties. Geisha belongs to the Typica family, yet it rose to fame more than seventy years after leaving Ethiopia - further confirming that Ethiopia is a treasure trove of Arabica genetics, since any variety exported from there can make waves in the coffee market. Geisha is now cultivated in many regions worldwide and has become the new king of specialty coffee, with particularly high quality and prices in Latin American countries such as Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia.

Conclusion

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research house that loves sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three discounted coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to bring the best coffee at the lowest prices to more people - and that has been our mission for six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste Geisha at its most celebrated, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label Geisha - officially Esmeralda Special - grows between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, cups above 90 points per batch, and comes from a single plot with its own batch number, so buyers can pick a lot that matches their flavor preferences.

For the same estate's signature high-altitude Geisha at a friendlier price, choose FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, or Private Collection. It blends batches from several plots rather than stressing individual plot detail, and expresses the estate's hallmark Geisha character with strong value. Newcomers who want a gentle first Geisha can start with FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha, an entry-level Panama Geisha with the classic orange-blossom honey profile, oolong tea-like body, and a fine fruit sweet-and-sour balance at an accessible price.

Beyond Panama, Ethiopia - coffee's birthplace - also has the Geisha Village estate. FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Village Gold Label is the Geisha 1931 variety, about 10% of the estate's total output and its top non-auction coffee, processed as a refined natural with complex, layered flavors. The Geisha Village Red Label, the Gori Gesha variety at about 15% of production, scores 88 points or higher on the SCA 100-point scale and is a single-terroir series with fully traceable lot information. For something distinctive, FrontStreet Coffee's Grana Gesha from the Genlana Gesha farm near the Yirgacheffe boundary is a rare single-variety estate coffee, hand-picked and raised-bed dried for 14-20 days depending on the weather, then roasted medium-light to show bright citrus acidity, elegant ginger-lily florals, and ripe-fruit sweetness with a silky, fine Gesha finish.