Hacienda La Esmeralda Auction and Differences Between Red, Green, and Blue Labels - Which Geisha Coffee Beans Taste Best?

Given the immense reputation of Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee, even friends who rarely drink coffee have heard of terms like Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label. However, truly understanding the origins of these labels and how to distinguish between them requires considerable time.

To save everyone's valuable time, FrontStreet Coffee will now explain the differences between these common "labels" in the most straightforward and simple language. (Familiarizing yourself with this knowledge will help you avoid awkward conversations when discussing coffee.)

First, it's important to understand that what we call Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label are actually Chinese colloquial terms (created for easy memorization). In fact, they all have more sophisticated original names. Take our most accessible Blue Label as an example - its original name is "Geisha1500," abbreviated as Blue Label because of its blue background logo. Blue Label is defined as a blend of Geisha coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda's three main sub-regions (Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo) grown at altitudes around 1500 meters.

However, starting from the 2021 harvest season, Hacienda La Esmeralda officially announced that they would no longer produce the Blue Label series. On Hacienda La Esmeralda's official website, we can see that the Blue Label has been removed from their product descriptions, leaving only Red Label and Green Label in the Geisha category.

In the interactive map provided by Hacienda La Esmeralda, we can see the distribution of micro-plots across four sub-estates. When we zoom in on Jaramillo, we can clearly see the names of subdivided plots, with those marked as "Geisha1500" producing what was Blue Label coffee.

Current Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Product Lines

Currently, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha product line is divided into Red Label and Green Label. Following the same logic as Blue Label, these are also colloquial names derived from the background colors of their logos.

The formal name for Red Label is "Esmeralda Special," which translates to "Esmeralda Special Selection" in Chinese. Here's how Hacienda La Esmeralda's official website describes this product:

To put it simply, the Esmeralda Special series represents the highest quality Geisha coffee beans sold by Hacienda La Esmeralda. These are grown in specific micro-plots at altitudes between 1600-1800 meters, with each batch required to score above 90 points in cupping evaluations. This series typically comes from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes sub-estates (though El Velo has also produced Red Label series, this estate primarily serves as exploration for commercial viability, with many coffee varieties planted).

Another characteristic of Red Label batches is that each batch has an independent number, and all coffee beans in a single batch come from one small micro-plot. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Red Label this year comes from the Mario plot. This allows buyers to choose suitable batches based on their preferences for subtle flavor differences. (Note: the buyers mentioned here are those who trade directly with Hacienda La Esmeralda)

The formal name for Green Label is "Private Collection," translated as "Private Collection" in Chinese. Don't be misled by the Chinese translation - this is simply a product series name.

According to Hacienda La Esmeralda's description of this series, it can be roughly understood that unlike Red Label which emphasizes specific micro-plots, this series focuses on the characteristic flavors of Hacienda La Esmeralda's high-altitude Geisha coffee. This series is a blend of batches from various micro-plots. (In fact, Green Label can be roughly understood as Red Label without plot differentiation.)

Red Label and Auction Batches

Some people might wonder about the relationship between Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label and auction batches. Some might ask: isn't Red Label the same as auction batches? Actually, not entirely. Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label series is divided into auction batches and non-auction batches. Auction batches are sold through competitive bidding, while non-auction batches are sold at fixed commercial prices.

Taking the 2021 auction as an example, there were 50 auction batches, each weighing 50 pounds, totaling 2500 pounds (567.5 kilograms).

So, are auction batches of Red Label necessarily better tasting than non-auction batches? For those familiar with agricultural products, this cannot be guaranteed. The only certainty is that auction batches are definitely more expensive than non-auction batches.

Actually, Hacienda La Esmeralda has recognized that this classification system is indeed quite confusing for people to understand completely. They have revealed that they will make clearer distinctions in the future. They mentioned that starting next year, auction beans will be renamed "Esmeralda Auction," which will likely be elegantly translated as "Esmeralda Auction." This "next year" actually refers to 2022.

Geisha Village Estate Labels

In addition to Hacienda La Esmeralda's "labels," there are also Gold Label, Red Label, and Green Label designations for Geisha Village Estate. Of course, Geisha Village's product series has no connection whatsoever with Hacienda La Esmeralda. If we must find a connection, it would be that Hacienda La Esmeralda established a relatively complete production and sales system worth learning from.

The managers of Geisha Village Estate are documentary filmmaker Adam Overton and his wife Rachel Samuel. They became interested in coffee while helping the Ethiopian government film a coffee documentary some years ago. In recent years, they met Willem Boot from Don Pachi Estate in Panama and chose the origin of Geisha, learning from Panama's cultivation and management practices.

Eventually, they established "Geisha Village Estate" in the Bench Maji region. They also subdivided the estate into plots, managed varieties (Geisha 1931, Gorie Geisha, and Illubabor), and categorized their products. Their products are divided into auction batches, Gold Label batches, Red Label batches, Green Label batches, and Chaka batches. (Of course, these "color labels" are also Chinese colloquial terms derived from their promotional background colors.)

The formal name for Gold Label is "Rarities," which translates to "Rarities" - essentially representing the highest quality non-auction batches from Geisha Village. This series accounts for only 10% of the entire estate's production.

Geisha Village Red Label, formally named "Growers Reserve," translates to "Growers Reserve." It accounts for 15% of the estate's total production and scores above 88 points in SCA cupping.

Geisha Village Green Label, formally named "Single-Terroir," translates to "Single-Terroir." This series provides detailed traceability information, allowing tracing back to specific single plots, coffee varieties, and processing information and time. Truly single-origin coffee in the truest sense.

Chaka batches emphasize accessibility with low purchase barriers. They are a blend of all plots and coffee varieties from the entire estate, without emphasizing subdivisions. They can be said to represent the baseline quality of Geisha Village Estate.

In fact, our colloquial "X Labels" can indeed confuse people with partial understanding. For example, we all know that Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label is of high quality, but when mentioning Geisha Village's Red Label, it's easy to equate them. In reality, if we want to make a proper comparison, it should be Geisha Village's Gold Label compared to Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label. This comparison approach is similar to how "Xiaomi compares itself to Apple" in the tech industry.

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