Ethiopian Coffee Beans | Red Label Gold Label Goré Gesha Gesha Village Coffee Bean Grading Varieties Introduction

When it comes to Gesha, many people immediately think of Panama. After all, the Gesha variety was once unpopular among farmers due to its fragility, complex cultivation requirements, and need for long-term care. It wasn't until 2005 that Hacienda La Esmeralda used Gesha to compete in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition and auction, achieving outstanding results and winning first place, which made Gesha famous overnight. However, the Gesha variety actually originates from Ethiopia, with Gesha Village coffee from Ethiopia currently being the most renowned.

Gesha Village Coffee Estate

Gesha Village is located in the westernmost part of Ethiopia, just a few kilometers from South Sudan, nestled in the Bench Maji wilderness. The estate primarily cultivates Gesha 1931, Gori Gesha, and the disease-resistant variety Illubabor.

Gesha Village Coffee Estate was founded by documentary director Adam Overton and his photographer wife Rachel Samuel. In 2007, while filming a documentary about coffee for the Ethiopian government, the couple discovered the Gori Gesha Forest in the Bench Maji region and began considering establishing their own coffee estate. Later in 2009, they met Willem, owner of Panama's Don Pachi Estate, and together they returned to Ethiopia to search for Gesha's birthplace. They arrived in Bench Maji at a place called Gesha Village, where they found what was most likely the original Gesha habitat. After finding wild Gesha, they collected seeds from the native Gesha trees, screened them, and planted them in Gesha Village. They decided to establish the estate there and named it Gesha Village Coffee Estate.

Gesha 1931/Gori Gesha

Gesha 1931: The Gesha variety was discovered in Ethiopia's coffee forests in 1931 and was transferred to Panama due to its resistance to coffee leaf rust, where it later became famous. This Gesha variety is the native Gesha that the owners of Gesha Village found in the Gesha forest. It was named Gesha 1931 because genetic comparison showed it to be very similar to the Panamanian Gesha variety.

Gori Gesha: Gori Gesha was discovered in 2011. After establishing Gesha Village, a coffee variety very similar to Gesha was found in the Gori Forest, 12 miles away, hence the name Gori Gesha.

Illubabor Forest 1974: Discovered during an expedition in the Illubabor Forest in 1974, it was later developed by the Ethiopian Research Center into a disease-resistant variety. Currently, only Gesha Village cultivates this variety.

Block Planting

Gesha Village is divided into different blocks, with each block cultivating only one variety, allowing variety identification through block location. The Oma, Surma, and Narsha blocks cultivate Gesha 1931; the Bangi, Shewa-Jibabu, and Shaya blocks cultivate Gori Gesha; while the Gaylee and Dimma blocks cultivate Illubabor. Coffee cherries harvested from each block are labeled to indicate their origin, and an internal tracking system monitors them from the factory to export.

Coffee Classification

Gesha Village's current coffee grading system borrows from some Panamanian business models and is completely different from Ethiopia's traditional grading system. Currently, Gesha Village roughly divides coffee into 5 categories:

Auction Lots: Auction lots are selected from the estate's top-tier coffee beans, with cupping scores between 92-88, and can only be obtained through Gesha Village Coffee Estate's global auction.

Gold Label: Gold Label is the top-tier coffee from Gesha Village Coffee Estate outside of auctions and is often chosen by baristas for international competitions.

Red Label: Red Label lots offer high value, with flavor intensity and complexity slightly less intense than Gold Label, and require cupping scores above 88.

Green Label: Green Label lots only provide block traceability information and have no cupping score requirements.

Shakiso Lots: Shakiso lots are Gesha blends, using three coffee varieties from mixed blocks within the estate: Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor.

FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopian Gesha Village Red Label Coffee

Region: Bench Maji
Estate/Processing Station: Gesha Village Coffee Estate
Altitude: 1900-2100 meters
Variety: Gori Gesha
Processing: Natural
Flavor: Citrus, Tropical Fruits, Berries, Maple Syrup, Wild Ginger

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Gesha Village coffee beans use natural processing. FrontStreet Coffee uses V60 with a 1:15 ratio at 92°C for brewing. You'll smell jasmine and ripe fruit aromas, with citrus, grape, and wild ginger flavors upon tasting. It has delicate fruit acidity with a sweet, fruity aftertaste and a clean, balanced mouthfeel.

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