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Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Growing Areas Detailed Guide - Classification System for Esmeralda Auction Red and Green Label Geisha

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Coffee enthusiasts familiar with Geisha coffee beans should know that Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda has always maintained an exclusive and relatively mature classification system. Starting from the previous harvest season (2022), Jaramillo Estate officially joined commercial production. The Peterson family not only established "new concepts" for the grades of both major Geisha varieties, but also redefined the green label standards

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Division System and Geisha Classification

Those familiar with Geisha coffee beans should know that Hacienda La Esmeralda has historically maintained an exclusive and relatively mature grading system. Since the previous harvest season (2022), El Velo farm has officially joined commercial production. The Peterson family not only established "new concepts" for the grades of both major Geisha varieties, but the Green Label now also includes information about harvest plots.

In this article, let's examine Hacienda La Esmeralda's plot divisions and detailed Geisha grading system from a new perspective.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Plot Division

Hacienda La Esmeralda comprises four main coffee-growing areas, with three major plots cultivating the Geisha variety: Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, and El Velo. Each plot is further subdivided into different smaller plots.

As the earliest estate purchased by the Peterson family, Jaramillo is the birthplace of Geisha, with coffee plants averaging over 15 years of age. The terrain here is relatively low, with a maximum average elevation of only 1700 meters, but the steep slopes present certain difficulties for harvesting work.

Jaramillo is named after the Jaramillo mountain range east of Boquete, with an annual rainfall of 4000ml, average daytime temperatures between 19-25°C, and average nighttime temperatures between 11-15°C. The humid and cold air, combined with dense shade, allows the bright floral aromas of Geisha to be perfectly expressed. Currently, the entire Jaramillo area is subdivided into 6 plots for Red Label production: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, Buenos Aires, and the newly added Caballeriza from last year, as well as Manantial, which has not yet been released to market.

In China, Canas Verdes estate is typically transliterated as "Kannasiweisi," while in Spanish it translates to "green reeds," "green fields," etc. Half of Canas Verdes was acquired together with Jaramillo in 1967. After Geisha rose to fame in 2004, the Peterson family gradually began purchasing surrounding small planting areas. Since the entire planting area is situated on the eastern slopes of the Baru volcano, there is a significant elevation span, ranging from 1500 to 2050 meters.

Canas Verdes has an annual rainfall of 3500ml, with average daytime temperatures between 16-23°C and average nighttime temperatures between 10-15°C. The highly complex terrain structure, volcanic soil, and distinct day-night temperature differences endow Geisha with its aromatic characteristics.

Currently, there are 11 small plots in Canas Verdes growing Geisha: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Jacinta, Cabaña, Tumaco, as well as Nido and Colga.

El Velo is the newest farm purchased by Hacienda La Esmeralda in 2012. It is the highest elevation plot on the estate and the only area that has undergone detailed leveling. In addition to primarily producing Geisha, El Velo also cultivates over 400 coffee varieties purchased from CATIE, including Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28, for long-term development and exploration.

Compared to the other two plantations, El Velo extends from 1650-1900 meters upward along the mountain, with an average annual rainfall of 4000ml, average daytime temperatures between 16-25°C, and average nighttime temperatures between 11-16°C.

The entire area covers 50.25 hectares of coffee planting land, with 37.9 hectares dedicated to Geisha cultivation, divided into 7 detailed plots: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Mural, Higo, Buena Vista, and Águila.

As for the lowest elevation Palmira farm, it primarily cultivates Catuai, with approximately 30 hectares of planting area. It was the earliest farm purchased by the Peterson family. It not only serves as the internal office area for Esmeralda but also houses the processing plant for all green beans.

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Two Major Geisha Grades

Under the management of the Peterson siblings, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha green beans are divided into three major brands for global market sales: Esmeralda Auction, Esmeralda Special, and Private Collection. Among these, Esmeralda Auction, also known as "Esmeralda Auction," represents the estate's top-tier batches, carefully selected by Rachel and Daniel for global auction. Purchase channels are limited to two: the Best of Panama green coffee competition and the estate's own independent auction.

Esmeralda Special

Esmeralda Special, commonly known as Red Label, represents the premium Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda outside of auction batches. This batch of Geisha is grown at elevations between 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores no lower than 91 points. Each micro-lot has extremely detailed traceability information, including plot, elevation, day-night temperature difference, latitude and longitude, tree age, harvest time, number of harvests, processing method, total yield, and more.

For example, the latest Esmeralda Red Label batch acquired by FrontStreet Coffee is selected from the Trapiche plot of Canas Verdes estate, grown at elevations above 1600 meters, with a total Red Label yield of 4.5 hectares from this plot. The coffee cherries were harvested on February 13th of this year, representing the 7th harvest from this plot, processed using the natural method. The green beans underwent 25 days of slow natural drying, bringing rich aromas to the coffee, reminiscent of jasmine, cranberry, passion fruit, citrus, and cinnamon.

Private Collection

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, represents Geisha batches of excellent quality that do not participate in auctions. The Green Label is a blend of Geisha from different plots within the two main estates at elevations between 1600-1800 meters. With its classic citrus and honey notes, it has become the preferred choice for many "budget-conscious" Geisha enthusiasts. Since 2022, Hacienda La Esmeralda has also begun marking this grade of Geisha batches with information about their major growing plots, specifically indicating whether they come from Jaramillo, Canas Verdes, or El Velo.

According to information disclosed on Hacienda La Esmeralda's official website, Green Label Geisha from different plots exhibits unique primary flavor profiles based on terroir differences. Green Label from Jaramillo plots carries intense jasmine and rose aromas; Green Label from Canas Verdes offers richer tropical fruit flavors; while Green Label from El Velo estate presents notes of lemongrass and floral aromas.

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