Are Gesha Premium Coffee Beans Exclusive to Panama? Does Hacienda La Esmeralda Have Gold Label Gesha?

When it comes to Geisha, many people immediately think of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha. However, FrontStreet Coffee recently introduced a Gold Label Geisha, and many friends assumed it was also from Hacienda La Esmeralda, but that's not the case. From the perspective of tracing the origins of coffee varieties, Panama's Geisha is actually not a native local variety, but the true origin of its native variety has yet to be definitively determined.

From the 1990s to the present, people have been searching around the world for the birthplace of Geisha. In 2007, Adam Overton and his wife Rachel Samuel, while filming a documentary about local coffee for the Ethiopian government, developed the idea of establishing their own coffee estate and brand. At that time, Willem Boot, a BOP judge and assistant to Don Pachi Estate, had been dedicated to finding the birthplace of Geisha, so they collaborated and returned to Ethiopia to search for Geisha's origins.

In the Bensa Maji region of Ethiopia, near the South Sudan border, at an altitude of approximately 1700-2100 meters, many areas are referred to as Gesha Village. This place has long been considered the most likely birthplace of Geisha.

They began investigating the nearby forests and discovered many wild Geisha varieties in the Gori Gesha forest. They harvested and selected the coffee cherries, then planted them in Gesha Village and established an estate, naming it Gesha Village Coffee Estate. Gesha Village Estate is divided into eight farms, each with different water and soil conditions.

On FrontStreet Coffee's menu, there are two coffees from Ethiopia's Gesha Village region: one is Gold Label and the other is Red Label. Although both come from Gesha Village, they are planted in different plots, resulting in differences in flavor profiles and ratings.

Gold Label Geisha:

Region: Ethiopia, Gesha Village Estate, Oma Block

Flavor: Citrus, floral, cream, fermented aroma, juice-like mouthfeel

Processing Method: Natural processing

Variety: Gesha 1931

Notes: Annual production accounts for 5% of the estate's total output, with complete traceability, complex and prominent flavor layers.

Red Label Geisha:

Region: Ethiopia, Bensa Maji, Gesha Village Estate

Flavor: Citrus, plum, cream, tropical fruit, fermented aroma

Processing Method: Natural processing

Variety: Gori Gesha

Notes: Typical Gesha Village flavor, with slightly less intensity than Gold Label batches, offering good value for money.

It's evident that different plots yield different varieties, and although the resulting coffee beans share the citrus and berry notes characteristic of Ethiopian coffee, there are still subtle differences.

Important Notice :

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