How is Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Graded? What's the Difference Between Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain and Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha?

The Renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda

Hacienda La Esmeralda's reputation is legendary, having captivated the global coffee world with its Geisha variety. Today, both Hacienda La Esmeralda and the Geisha variety are household names in the coffee industry. However, many coffee enthusiasts automatically associate Hacienda La Esmeralda exclusively with Geisha, leading to amusing situations when ordering—they specifically request Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee but end up with a non-Geisha variety from the estate. What other coffee varieties does Hacienda La Esmeralda produce besides its famous Geisha?

Browsing the official website of Hacienda La Esmeralda, the estate categorizes its coffee into two main sections based on variety: Geisha and Catuai. Under the Geisha category, there are further divisions: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500, commonly known as Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label respectively.

Diamond Mountain: Beyond Geisha

Today's focus extends beyond Geisha to the Catuai category, which includes two brands: Diamond Mountain and Palmyra. The Catuai coffee variety has been cultivated in Panama for many years and is widely appreciated for its high yield, disease resistance, and clean, bright flavor profile. FrontStreet Coffee has recently imported a batch of Diamond Mountain coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Natural Diamond Mountain

Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Altitude: 1,400-1,700 meters
Varieties: Catuai, Caturra
Processing: Natural process

The Diamond Mountain coffee comes from two of Hacienda La Esmeralda's most productive and renowned farms: Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes.

The Estate Farms

Jaramillo is a long-established farm within Hacienda La Esmeralda, situated at an average altitude of over 1,650 meters. The average daytime temperature ranges between 19-25°C, while nighttime temperatures average 11-15°C. This significant diurnal temperature variation allows coffee trees ample time to grow and store nutrients. With an annual rainfall of 4,000mm, these growing conditions enabled the Geisha variety grown here to win the BOP championship in 2004 with its captivating floral aromas, catapulting both the Geisha variety and Hacienda La Esmeralda to international fame.

Cañas Verdes was one of the farms included when the Peterson family initially purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda. It was originally used for grazing dairy cows before gradually incorporating nearby small plots to focus on coffee cultivation. Today, Cañas encompasses nine small plots, including Lino.

Cañas is situated at altitudes above 1,650m, with average daytime temperatures between 16-23°C and nighttime temperatures averaging 11-15°C. The annual rainfall reaches 3,500mm, with a distinct dry season lasting three to four months, though the climate remains consistently cool.

Coffee Varieties

This Diamond Mountain coffee consists of Catuai and Caturra varieties.

Catuai derives from the Guaraní term "multo mom," meaning "very good." It comes in both Yellow Catuai and Red Catuai variations. The Catuai variety was developed in 1949 through a cross between Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo varieties, initially named H-2077.

The Catuai variety has been cultivated in Panama for many years and is widely appreciated for its high yield, disease resistance, and clean, bright flavor profile. Compared to Bourbon varieties, Catuai yields are exceptionally high—one reason being the smaller plant size, which allows for closer spacing between plants. Catuai planting density is nearly double that of Bourbon.

Processing Method

This Diamond Mountain coffee undergoes natural processing. During the natural process, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly to drying patios. As the coffee cherries gradually dry, the coffee beans inside absorb fruit and aromatic compounds.

Depending on weather and patio conditions, coffee cherries are dried on concrete patios for 3-5 days (8 hours daily). When the cherries reach an appropriate moisture level, they are transferred to a Guardiola dryer and rotated for 72 hours to complete the drying process and prevent fermentation. After drying, the coffee cherries undergo mechanical processing to remove the fruit pulp and skin.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

Although Caturra may not match Geisha in flavor complexity, both benefit from Hacienda La Esmeralda's meticulous management and similar growing altitudes, resulting in excellent quality and flavor. FrontStreet Coffee employs a medium-light roast profile.

The beans enter the roaster at 165°C with 130 heat power and air damper setting at 3. The temperature returns to 97.3°C at 1'36". When the roaster reaches 112°C, the air damper is opened to 4 while maintaining the same heat power. At 153.2°C, the bean surface turns yellow and grassy aromas disappear completely, entering the dehydration phase. At 8'30", the bean surface develops wrinkles and dark spots, with toasty aromas distinctly transitioning to coffee aromas—this can be defined as the prelude to first crack.

When the temperature reaches 184°C, heat power is reduced to 70. At this point, listen carefully for the first crack sounds. First crack begins at 9'48", and the air damper is adjusted to 5. After first crack, develop for 1'20" before dropping the beans at 191°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Results

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: V60 #01
Water Temperature: 90-91°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% retention on Chinese standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-stage pour-over. Begin with a 30g bloom for 30 seconds. Using a small water stream, pour in a circular motion to 125g, then pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level again drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. Total extraction time (starting from bloom) is 1'55".

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473