Geisha, Gesha, or Geisha? Uncovering the Remarkable Story of the Geisha Coffee Bean

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Understanding Different Types of Geisha Coffee

In September 2022, when Luckin Coffee launched its Gesha SOE (Single Origin Espresso) series, it sparked heated discussions among netizens. In many people's minds, Geisha coffee always features delicate floral aromas and pleasant, rich acidity.

As a chain coffee brand, Luckin Coffee needs to ensure consistency between stores, which inevitably means deep roasting the coffee beans. This approach could potentially diminish the rich flavors of Geisha coffee beans. Additionally, with Geisha coffee bean prices becoming increasingly expensive in recent years, Luckin's entry into this market might further impact Geisha coffee prices.

Geisha vs. Gesha: Understanding the Difference

However! While Luckin Coffee launched what they call "Geisha," it's not the Geisha that everyone imagines. The Geisha coffee beans known for their rich floral and fruity aromas mostly come from Panama, with a smaller portion from Central and South America, and are named "Geisha." Meanwhile, what Luckin Coffee uses is the native Gesha from Ethiopia.

So, is there a difference between Geisha and Gesha?

Yes! Although it's just one letter difference, relevant records indicate that a British person collected mixed coffee samples near Gesha Mountain in Ethiopia, marked as "Gesha," and sent them to a British plantation in Kenya. However, in the letter sent back after completing the mission, the term used was "Geisha." Later, European literature about this coffee consistently used the term "Geisha."

Because "Geisha" sounds the same as the Japanese word for "geisha" when translated phonetically, this coffee has also been called "Geisha." However, over the years, there have been opportunities to correct it back to "Gesha," but this hasn't happened. One reason is that it's merely a phonetic translation issue without original text; another reason is genuinely to distinguish between the two different types.

Geisha as a Lineage Rather Than a Variety

Rather than calling Geisha a variety, it's more accurate to say it's a lineage.

Whether it's Panamanian Geisha or Ethiopian Gesha, both originate from the forests near Gesha Mountain in the Bench Maji region of Ethiopia. However, the difference is that Geisha is just one member of the Gesha lineage, numbered T2722. It's a variety that has been continuously cultivated and "domesticated" over several generations, resulting in extremely refined flavor profiles. However, the cultivation cost is also high, combined with low yield and the popularity that followed Geisha's rise to fame, making small quantities of Panamanian Geisha extremely expensive.

Meanwhile, Gesha represents the native varieties from Ethiopia's Bench Maji region. Since this is the homeland of Geisha, the native varieties here have some genetic connection to the "domesticated" Geisha, but their flavor profiles, cultivation costs, and yields are entirely different.

According to renowned coffee hunter Hsu Pao-lin's book "The Coffee Hunter 2," Bench Maji is the homeland of Geisha coffee, but the Geisha coffee produced here has completely different flavor profiles from the well-known Panamanian Geisha. Ethiopia's native Gesha varieties, when deep roasted (removed after second crack), display berry, nutty, spicy, and plant root flavors—unlike the refined coffee flavors of Panamanian Geisha.

Although in most cases, to preserve light molecular flavors (such as floral and fruity aromas), many roasters tend to use light roasting to retain more acidity. However, for Ethiopian Gesha, which can still display plant root flavors after deep roasting, using light roasting might result in grassy and astringent flavors.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee believes that the degree of roasting should be determined based on the coffee beans' inherent flavor qualities. Geisha isn't necessarily light roasted, nor is deep roasting necessarily unsuitable for Geisha coffee beans. The most important thing is to roast coffee beans that can guarantee a quality product. Of course, when Ethiopia's native Gesha varieties are carefully distinguished and properly cultivated, their coffee flavors can also be very delightful.

For example, the "Ethiopia Gesha Village Red Label Gori Gesha Coffee Beans" sold by FrontStreet Coffee feature very pleasant berry acidity, red floral aromas, roasted nuts, and fermented tea notes.

Gori Gesha is a location that the owner of Gesha Village Estate traced back through historical records, believing it was where the British originally sampled and took away Gesha seeds. They also conducted sampling here and eventually selected Gesha 1931. The selection wasn't made through genetic identification but rather by observing plant morphology, bean shape, and cupping profiles. From the samples, they believed this coffee variety was similar to Panamanian Geisha.

Gori Gesha was recovered by the estate owner when they re-entered the Gori forest in 2011. Even if they found the right place, with thousands of varieties in the Gesha forest, there's no guarantee that the varieties they found were precisely the original Gesha (T2722). Therefore, different bean characteristics are normal, as they're not the same variety after all.

Understanding Red Label Classifications

Doesn't Panama also have Red Label Geisha coffee beans?!

Yes, but the grading systems are significantly different! Ethiopia's Gesha Village Red Label is not the highest grade. The Gesha Village Red Label batches account for about 15% of the estate's annual production. These are fully traceable batches with cupping scores exceeding 88 points (SCA standard), featuring typical Gesha Village flavors with slightly less intensity and complexity than Gold Label batches, making them very cost-effective single-origin batches.

Meanwhile, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label is officially named "Esmeralda Special," which translates to "Esmeralda Special Selection" in Chinese. This series represents the highest quality Geisha coffee beans sold by Hacienda La Esmeralda. Grown at altitudes of 1600-1800 meters in specific plots, each batch must cup above 90 points. This series typically comes from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes sub-estates (the Velo de Novia estate has also produced Red Label series, but this estate's plots are mainly for exploring commercial viability, with many coffee varieties planted).

Another characteristic of Red Label batches is that each batch has an independent number, with all coffee beans in a batch coming from a small plot. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Label this year comes from the Mario plot. This allows buyers to select suitable batches based on their preferences for subtle flavor differences.

The "Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha Coffee Beans" sold by FrontStreet Coffee feature very rich berry acidity, rose floral aromas, honey sweetness, and black tea notes.

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