What is Geisha Coffee Variety? Origin and Flavor Characteristics of Geisha Coffee Beans

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Recently, a coffee professional posted on multiple social platforms that Ethiopia's Horse Champion coffee beans are actually Geisha variety beans, sparking heated discussions among coffee enthusiasts. All along, due to the Chinese literal translation, many people have confused Horse Champion coffee beans with Geisha coffee beans. In fact, Horse Champion coffee beans are sun-dried Ethiopian native variety coffee beans from the Buku processing plant in Hambela, Sidamo, Ethiopia. The name "Horse Champion" was given by a domestic green bean company. Geisha coffee, on the other hand, represents a coffee variety that has been distributed to different coffee-growing regions for research, cultivation, and production. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce you to this universally loved Arabica coffee variety—Geisha.

The Geisha variety was discovered in 1931 from the Geisha forest in Ethiopia. Later, Geisha was sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya, introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, to Costa Rica in 1953, and to Panama in 1970. Initially, not many people paid attention to Geisha until Panama La Esmeralda (also known as Hacienda La Esmeralda) separated it from other varieties in 2003, and it became the champion of the BOP competition in 2004. Since then, the Geisha variety has officially entered the spotlight. Although the flavor of Geisha varieties is exquisite, this elegant flavor comes from specific growing environments. The Geisha variety is quite picky about its growing environment, requiring cultivation in areas with high altitudes, cloud cover or ample shade from trees, and fertile soil. High-altitude Geisha coffee beans exhibit distinct floral aromas and refined, elegant fruit acidity, which is one of the reasons for their global popularity.

Panama Geisha Coffee

Among the Geisha coffee beans we commonly encounter, the most famous undoubtedly come from La Esmeralda in the Boquete region of Panama. After being identified for its unique flavor in 2003, it has consistently won championships in various green bean competitions, including BOP. In FrontStreet Coffee's daily brewing, Panama Geisha presents rose floral notes and citrus tones, resembling a cup of floral and fruity tea. La Esmeralda stands out as a leader for several reasons: first, it was the earliest discoverer of Geisha; second, Geisha has been a consecutive BOP championship winner; third, it established its own quality system, and several years later, Geisha Village also adopted its own grading system.

Emeralda Grading System

The grading is divided into: Red Label Geisha coffee beans precisely from specific plots at 1600-1800m altitude in the estate, Green Label Geisha coffee beans from mixed plots at 1600-1800m altitude in the estate, and New Blue Label Geisha coffee beans from volcanic rock at around 1500m altitude and mixed in the estate.

Flavor Differences

Regarding flavor differences, FrontStreet Coffee's Emeralda Estate sun-dried Red Label Geisha coffee beans come from the same plot and are grown at high altitudes, so the flavor is fuller and clearer, with strawberry sweetness and sourness, rose fragrance, oolong tea sensation, and honey aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee's Emeralda Estate Green Label washed Geisha coffee beans, although not from the same plot, are also grown at high altitudes, so the flavor is relatively rich and fresh, with jasmine and ginger flower aromas, citrus fruit acidity, and Tieguanyin tea aftertaste. FrontStreet Coffee's Emeralda Estate volcanic rock washed New Blue Label coffee beans, compared to the previous two, are grown at relatively lower altitudes, so the flavor is relatively fresh and pleasant, with white flower fragrance, citrus acidity, and honey green tea aftertaste.

Ethiopia Gesha Village Coffee

In addition to the famous Geisha varieties from Emeralda Estate, attentive readers will also notice that Ethiopia also has a coffee bean from Gesha Village. Some have asked FrontStreet Coffee if this coffee bean is also the well-known Geisha variety. Not exactly! Gesha Village is located in Kaffa Forest, the birthplace of coffee. Compared to Panama Geisha, although they share the same name "Geisha," they are actually completely unrelated coffee varieties, which can be completely distinguished by their appearance. FrontStreet Coffee will discuss it separately as Ethiopia's Geisha variety.

In 2007, documentary director Adam Overton and his photographer wife Rachel Samuel, while filming a documentary about Ethiopian coffee for the Ethiopian government, encountered the Gera coffee forest in the Bench-Maji region. During this process, they not only rediscovered this great land of Ethiopia but also developed the idea of establishing their own coffee estate and brand. In recent years, they learned planting techniques and estate management from Panama estate owner Willem Boot. Gesha Village also became the first coffee plantation estate in the Ethiopia region.

Adam followed Willem Boot on expeditions into the surrounding forests and discovered multiple wild coffee varieties in a jungle wrapped in dense forest (known as Gori Geisha Forest). Among them, what surprised them most was the discovery of the native Geisha variety. They collected seeds from the native Geisha trees, screened them, and then planted them in Gesha Village. They decided to establish the estate here, naming it Gesha Village Coffee Estate, and divided the estate into plots, managed varieties, and classified products.

The Geisha coffee beans grown in Ethiopia's Gesha Village are not the same as the famous Geisha coffee beans from Panama. Gesha Village grows three varieties: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor Forest. The first two have genetic ties to the famous Panama Geisha variety but are not the same variety, while the latter is a disease-resistant variety provided by the Ethiopian Research Institute.

Gesha Village Grading System

Gesha Village also divides the coffee produced here into 5 batches: Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka. Among them, the Auction batch only accounts for 3.7% of Gesha Village's annual production and is the top batch selected through strict screening. It can only be obtained through global bidding.

The Gold Label batch Geisha coffee accounts for about 10% of Gesha Village's annual production, is very rare, and is the highest quality Geisha coffee bean from Gesha Village aside from the Auction batch. FrontStreet Coffee previously cupped a Gold Label batch from the Oma plot (Oma 059 batch), processed as sun-dried with a drying time of 32 days, with the variety being Gesha 1931 exclusive to the Oma plot. During the cupping's dry fragrance stage, FrontStreet Coffee smelled strong fruit aroma. After adding hot water, during the wet fragrance stage, it transformed into intense floral and berry aromas. When FrontStreet Coffee actually tasted this Gesha Village Gold Label Geisha, the entry was distinctly citrusy with creamy tones. The acidity wasn't as bright as FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe; instead, the acidity of FrontStreet Coffee's Gold Label Geisha coffee was relatively softer, with more pronounced sweetness. The sweetness of caramel and cream was continuous, finally ending with a fermented aftertaste.

The Red Label batch coffee beans account for about 15% of Gesha Village's annual production, are batches with complete traceability, have cupping scores exceeding 88 points (SCA standards), and possess typical Gesha Village flavor. The flavor intensity and complexity are slightly weaker than the Gold Label batch, making it a single-origin batch with excellent value. In the 2020 production season, FrontStreet Coffee selected a Geisha from the Shewa-Jibabu plot—FrontStreet Coffee's sun-dried Gori Gesha. When cupped, this Red Label batch of FrontStreet Coffee's Gori Gesha displayed tropical fruit, bergamot, and lemon tones, creamy sweetness mixed with fermented aromas. As the temperature slightly cooled, jasmine fragrance gradually emerged, followed by flavors reminiscent of toffee and almonds.

The Green Label batch comes from single plots and single varieties in Gesha Village. The Green Label batch provides complete traceability information for each batch number, including farm plot name, coffee variety, and processing date. Chaka, different from other batches, mixes coffee from all plots in the estate throughout the entire production season. Chaka batch coffee has both sun-dried and washed processing methods and contains three coffee varieties from Gesha Village: Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and Illubabor.

Purchasing and Brewing Geisha Coffee

After understanding the differences between Panama Geisha coffee and Ethiopia Gesha coffee, are you eager to brew a cup of Geisha coffee to taste? At FrontStreet Coffee, you can purchase FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Emeralda Red Label, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Emeralda Green Label, and FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Volcanic Rock Blue Label—the three grades of Geisha coffee beans. As for Gesha Village Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee currently only has FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Gesha Village Red Label batch. All coffee beans sold by FrontStreet Coffee are shipped within 5 days after roasting is completed, so when you receive the coffee beans, don't rush to drink them. You can first let the beans rest by keeping them sealed in their original packaging in a cool, dry place for 3-4 days after the roasting date. This way, the brewed Geisha coffee will be even more delicious!

Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha coffee bean brewing parameter recommendations: Dripper: V60 #01, Dose: 15g, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Brewing temperature: 90-91°C, Grind size: Medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve).

Brewing Method

For brewing method, we recommend using the three-stage pouring technique: Start the timer, use 30g of water for the first stage bloom for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, begin the second stage with small circular pours until reaching 125g. When the coffee liquid level in the dripper drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed, start the third stage with small circular pours until reaching 225g, then stop pouring. When all the coffee liquid from the dripper has flowed into the lower server, remove the dripper and end extraction. The total extraction time for Geisha coffee beans is generally between 2 minutes 10 seconds and 2 minutes 20 seconds.

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