Flavor Differences Between Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha and Ethiopia Gesha Village Red Label Varieties

Recently, a friend came to FrontStreet Coffee store for pour-over coffee, specifically requesting Red Label Geisha. When FrontStreet Coffee mentioned having two Red Label options from Hacienda La Esmeralda and Gesha Village, asking which one they'd prefer, the friend countered, "Which one tastes better?" Since that's the question, today FrontStreet Coffee will break down the differences between these two "Red Label Geisha" coffees for everyone!

Different Origins, Different Terroirs

Located in the Boquete region of Chiriquí Province, Panama, Hacienda La Esmeralda features towering terrain near Barú Volcano, resulting in rich, fertile soil. Coupled with year-round mist and abundant rainfall, this creates unique microclimate characteristics and an exceptional coffee-growing environment.

Gesha Village Coffee Estate, located in the westernmost part of Ethiopia on the African continent, is situated in the wild jungle-covered Bench Maji region. This area features Ethiopia's typical high-altitude terrain, with even the lowest plots exceeding 1,900 meters. From Gesha Village, one can directly enjoy the beautiful scenery of ancient forests.

Checking Grades: This Red Label Isn't That Red Label

Although both coffees are classified as "Red Label" grade in China, they are actually products under completely different grading systems from two different estates.

Those familiar with the "Rise of Geisha" should know that Hacienda La Esmeralda was not only the discoverer of Geisha's distinctive flavors but also its promoter, and pioneered the branding of premium Geisha. After Geisha rose to fame, the Peterson family, owners of the estate, recognized the importance of detailed management of coffee-growing plots and pioneered batch grading within the estate. Based on cupping scores, plot locations, altitude, and other factors, Geisha was divided into three grades.

Among these, "Esmeralda Special" – what we refer to as Red Label – is the highest grade of Geisha brand, translated to Chinese as "Esmeralda Special Selection," with "Red Label" being a term popularized in China. Esmeralda Special Selection combines the finest Geisha batches from Hacienda La Esmeralda (including auction batches), with quality requirements including cultivation altitude between 1,600-1,800 meters and cupping scores above 90 points.

Clearly, Gesha Village's grading system was modeled after the business model established by Hacienda La Esmeralda. The estate owner analyzed different plant characteristics and microclimate variations, selecting the most suitable variety for each plot and assigning detailed codes for later traceability.

According to Gesha Village's internal classification standards, their coffee can be divided into five levels: Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka. The official name for Red Label is "Growers Reserve," which translates to "Grower's Reserve Area." This batch accounts for 15% of the estate's total production and must score above 88 points in SCA cupping. Clearly, this "Red Label" is not the highest grade product at Gesha Village.

Checking "Origins": Different Geisha Varieties

FrontStreet Coffee has previously explained in an article that the competition-winning and world-renowned specialty coffee Geisha was discovered through sample comparison to have been collected from the Gesha forest near Kaffa forest in southwestern Ethiopia in the 1930s. It was later cataloged by CATIE as the "geisha T2722" variety for its fungal resistance.

Due to the lack of genetic comparison technology at the time, Gesha Village's selection work was led by Willem Boot, with estate owner Adam finding Geisha plants in the vast Gesha forest by referencing the plant morphology and flavor characteristics of Panamanian Geisha. These Geisha varieties found were not verified to be the original T2722.

Furthermore, Gesha Village cultivates three varieties in total, including Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and another non-Geisha variety – Illubabor. As long as they meet the estate's internal standards, they can be classified as "Gesha Village Red Label" grade. Therefore, coffee beans classified as "Red Label" grade may actually have no connection to the Geisha variety.

The Red Label batch purchased by FrontStreet Coffee from Gesha Village is the Gori Gesha variety, which was found by estate owner Adam in the Gori forest near the estate. He noticed it closely resembled Geisha plants, brought it back for cultivation, and named it "Gori Gesha." Compared to Panama's T2722, it is closer to the original Ethiopian Geisha variety.

Both Natural Process: Which Tastes Better?

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee has purchased natural process batches of both "Red Labels." Different climatic factors in the two regions create subtle flavor differences during the natural processing.

To ensure more even drying of coffee cherries, Hacienda La Esmeralda's natural process production combines traditional patio drying with electric Guardiola dryers. The Guardiola allows constant hot air to circulate around the beans, thus evenly removing moisture and presenting a more consistent floral and fruit flavor profile.

Gesha Village's main harvest season is from December to March of the following year, which is during the dry season with little rainfall, allowing the estate to use natural drying methods with African beds. Compared to the relatively high temperature and humid processing season in Central and South America, Gesha Village's natural processing more easily highlights clean and natural flavors.

Through cupping these two Geisha coffees, FrontStreet Coffee detected elegant floral notes similar to pink roses in the natural process Red Label from Hacienda La Esmeralda, with complex and refined fruit tones ranging from berries, citrus, mango, peach, pineapple to guava, along with cocoa flavors and fresh notes of orange peel. It has no bitterness, a light body, and resembles tea.

As for the natural process Gori Gesha from Gesha Village's Red Label batch, it not only has light jasmine floral notes and rich fruit flavors of berries and apricot-peach, but also adds the bright acidity characteristic of African coffees. The entry texture is relatively round, with creamy sensations and caramel aftertaste reminiscent of toffee.

Finally, returning to our friend's question at the beginning: Which Red Label tastes better? FrontStreet Coffee can only answer: To each their own~

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473