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Guji Gesha Village: Panama Gesha vs Ethiopian Gesha

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Ethiopian coffee, also known as Ethiopian coffee, originates from a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa. As the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is the origin of excellent Arabica coffee varieties, possessing many rich native Arabica varieties with exceptional genetic qualities. These native varieties are cultivated in many other coffee-growing regions worldwide.

Ethiopian Coffee

Ethiopian Coffee, also known as Ethiopian coffee, comes from a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa and is the most populous landlocked country in the world. Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and the origin of excellent Arabica coffee varieties. It possesses many rich native Arabica varieties with excellent genes. These native varieties are not found in many other coffee-growing regions. Many coffee varieties have hybridized and mutated under natural growing conditions, all originating from excellent Arabica varieties. After hybridization, they not only retain the excellent flavor characteristics of the original Arabica mother varieties but also create the unique regional flavor characteristics of different producing areas in Ethiopia.

Panama Geisha

The renowned Panama Geisha coffee also originates from Ethiopian native varieties. The Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda is commonly known as "Geisha" (pronounced similarly to the famous Japanese Geisha), with its name coming from Geisha Mountain in Ethiopia. The "Geisha" was discovered in Sidama Geisha Mountain in Ethiopia and then transplanted to Panama where it mutated into the Typica variety Geisha. These are commonly known as Geisha 1931 and T2722. Geisha often presents flavors of flowers, fruits, citrus, and tea notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's selected Panama Esmeralda Red Label Geisha also uses the traditional natural processing method. First, mature coffee cherries are washed and selected in water tanks, removing immature and overripe coffee fruits. Then the whole cherries are placed on drying patios for dehydration until reaching 12% moisture content, which typically takes about two to four weeks. The specific drying conditions depend on the local climate.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha grading: 1500m and below altitude are Blue Label; 1600m-1800m altitude are Green Label for private collections, not independent competition batches; 1600m-1800m altitude with cupping scores of 90+ are Red Label (used as 90+ Red Label Geisha for Hacienda La Esmeralda's bidding competitions).

Ethiopia Gesha Village

Ethiopia's Gesha varieties are mostly native, preserving the original Arabica flavor with distinctive Ethiopian characteristics. However, as Ethiopian native varieties, the beans are not as stable in appearance as the Panama Geisha that mutated from Typica. Most Ethiopian Geishas vary in size, with some being round and others pointed. In 2009, Willem Boot, owner of Don Pachi Estate and BOP judge, met the Overton couple, who were filming a documentary about coffee in Ethiopia for the Ethiopian government. Willem Boot provided the Overtons with an opportunity to return to Ethiopia to search for Geisha's birthplace. Eventually, in a place called Gesha Village in southwestern Ethiopia near South Sudan, following estate owner Willem Boot, they searched through dense forest and found the Gori Gesha forest where Geisha was first discovered. They collected seeds and returned to Gesha Village for cultivation and planting. Later, Ethiopia's Gesha Village followed in the footsteps of the renowned Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda to appear before everyone. However, due to being Ethiopian native coffee varieties, they don't possess the flavor stability of the Arabica Typica variety Panama Geisha. But Gesha Village is also improving the quality of Ethiopian Geisha coffee by cultivating in higher altitude areas, providing excellent growing conditions for coffee trees. With mature estate techniques, they maintain the quality of beans from Gesha Village. FrontStreet Coffee selected the natural-processed Red Label Geisha from Ethiopia's Gesha Village. This natural-processed Ethiopian Gesha Village coffee uses African raised beds for drying, with defective beans sorted out to maintain cleanliness while removing the defective flavors traditionally associated with ground drying. Ethiopia's Gesha Village Geisha grading includes: Auction; Gold Label; Red Label; Green Label; CHAKA.

FrontStreet Coffee conducted a cupping comparison between Ethiopia's Gesha Village Red Label Geisha and Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label Geisha.

Ethiopia Gesha Village Red Label Geisha: Altitude: 1900-2050m; Processing: Natural (raised bed drying); Acidity: Medium; Sweetness: Medium; Bitterness: Slight; Flavor: Tropical fruits, cream, bergamot, wine aroma, lemon, nuts.

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha: Altitude: 1700m; Processing: Natural (ground drying); Acidity: Medium; Sweetness: Medium; Bitterness: Slight; Flavor: Rich rose floral, grapefruit, lemon, black tea, sweet potato, sucrose.

Comparing the two, Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label Geisha has richer and more intense flavors with a longer finish, but both have excellent layering, balanced sweetness and acidity, and mild bitterness. The flavors of both are more natural and pleasant. Ethiopia's Gesha Village Red Label Geisha's cleaner raised bed drying gives the coffee cleaner sweetness and more mature fermented wine aroma, combined with the sweetness of tropical fruits, providing a fuller mouthfeel. Although Hacienda La Esmeralda didn't use the cleaner raised bed drying method but rather traditional, convenient, and low-cost ground drying, one must admire Hacienda La Esmeralda's expertise in still imparting very rich flavors to the coffee. That captivating floral aroma, soft acidity combined with smooth sweetness creates such clean citrus flavors, with a long aftertaste and distinct layers.