What are the characteristics of Panama's coffee growing regions? How are Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha coffees graded?

Whenever FrontStreet Coffee discusses Geisha coffee with guests, Panama's Geisha variety always comes to mind first. When mentioning Panama coffee, some friends directly assume it's Geisha. Although there are many regions growing Geisha, besides Panama, countries like Costa Rica, Colombia, and Guatemala all produce quality Geisha. Why are Panama's Geishas the most famous? If you're curious, follow FrontStreet Coffee to explore this in detail.

Panama is located in Central America, surrounded by countries known for quality coffee. To its left is Costa Rica, and it borders Colombia to the right. The local mountain ranges run horizontally from east to west. Cold air currents converge over the central mountains at elevations above 6,500 meters, creating unique microclimates in the Boquete and Candela regions. The comfortable temperatures and abundant rainfall here are ideal for various plants.

Panama is divided into 10 provinces and 5 indigenous residential areas, with specialty coffee primarily grown in the western Chiriquí Province, which is divided into three major producing regions: Boquete, Volcan-Candela, and Renacimiento. The Boquete and Volcan-Candela regions surround the country's famous Chiriquí Volcano (also known as Barú Volcano), while Renacimiento is situated in the western part of Chiriquí Province, bordering Costa Rica.

Panama's Coffee History

According to research by FrontStreet Coffee, Panama's coffee history dates back to the 18th century. Around the 1780s, a retired British naval colonel first introduced the Typica variety to the Boquete valley region of Panama, later followed by the Bourbon variety, beginning cultivation in the western part of the country. The initial plantations were mainly located in low-altitude areas, but to help coffee trees avoid pests and diseases, farmers soon moved the plants to the highland Boquete Valley in western Panama, then expanded to the Volcan area around Barú Volcano.

Before 1989, Panama's coffee prices were controlled by the International Coffee Agreement. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, Panama also exported small quantities of green coffee beans to Western European countries. However, in that year, the agreement collapsed, and an international price crisis for green beans emerged, with coffee prices dropping from $1.20 per pound to as low as $0.74 per pound.

In the early 1990s, as commercial coffee bean prices fell, Panama began focusing on the emerging specialty coffee market. In 1996, seven local Panamanian coffee estate owners jointly established the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) and held the first Best of Panama (BOP) green coffee competition along with online green coffee auctions, aiming to promote high-quality Panamanian coffee by organizing small-scale coffee growers nationwide.

With the establishment of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama and the successful rise of the Geisha variety through BOP in the industry, Panama's growing regions began to receive praise from international coffee professionals. In FrontStreet Coffee's view, Panama's excellent reputation today stems not only from its ideal growing conditions but also from the high-quality local coffee farmers.

According to historical records, in the early 20th century, with the completion of the Panama Canal, this waterway connecting the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Caribbean Sea not only opened up maritime trade but also brought abundant agricultural knowledge from the United States and Europe. Many retired professionals who had worked in Europe and America during their younger years chose to settle in Panama, with its mild climate, beautiful scenery, and distance from big cities, purchasing estates in Boquete, which contributed to the development of the local coffee industry.

The earliest coffee growers operating farms in Panama were mostly Western immigrants, many of whom were senior engineers who had worked on the Panama Canal project. Some successors also had higher educational backgrounds, so compared to other coffee-producing countries, these estate operators had more comprehensive scientific theoretical knowledge, leading to well-developed coffee cultivation and management practices.

Panama's Growing Regions

Friends who enjoy Geisha coffee know that Panama is most famous for Geisha, and the vast majority of premium Geisha comes from Panama's Boquete region. Boquete is located in northern Chiriquí, named after Boquete City, situated among the mountains of Panama's central mountain range, also featuring the famous Chiriquí Volcano (Volcán Baru) with its highest peak reaching 3,477 meters, while the Caldera River flows through the entire Boquete town.

The climate here is predominantly tropical, influenced by the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Moist air currents from both oceans converge after passing through the central mountains, creating unique microclimates. Temperatures in this region range between 11°C-27°C, neither too cold nor too hot, while also featuring significant temperature differences. Clouds often shroud the mountains in the Boquete region, with humid days and cool nights, combined with the fertile soil from Barú Volcano - all favorable conditions for growing premium coffee like Geisha. Additionally, the higher the altitude of coffee tree cultivation, the longer the fruit maturation time, the more nutrients absorbed, and the richer and more unique the flavor profile. No wonder this area is hailed as a "coffee paradise."

Thanks to these unique terroir conditions, coffee absorbs various essences, transforming into elegant floral and fruity notes with multi-layered acidity. FrontStreet Coffee's Panama La Esmeralda Geisha and Elida Estate Geisha both come from the Boquete region.

When discussing Geisha, La Esmeralda's reputation in the specialty coffee circle is unparalleled. In 2004, it won the Best of Panama competition with its Geisha variety, continuously breaking auction price records year after year, thus gaining significant attention from the coffee industry. La Esmeralda "made famous" the Geisha variety and was also the first coffee estate to strictly grade Geisha. Each year's Geisha batches receive industry attention. After Geisha won the championship, the estate owner Peterson siblings systematically managed the Geisha coffee trees in the estate based on altitude, region, and cupping performance.

As the United States helped build the Panama Canal in the late 20th century, more Americans moved to Panama seeking business opportunities. American elites like the owner of La Esmeralda settled in Panama during that era. The predecessor of La Esmeralda was the Palmira farm purchased in 1964 by American banker Rudolph A. Peterson after his retirement. Initially, it mainly operated a dairy business. Later, his son resigned from his medical position to help his father manage the farm. In 1987, they introduced Caturra and Catuaí varieties for cultivation, renamed the farm La Esmeralda, and officially began coffee production in 1994 after establishing a washed processing plant.

When the third-generation estate owner Daniel joined the management in 1997, specialty coffee was also on the rise. Daniel learned coffee cupping and cupped the first harvest of Geisha in 2003, classifying Geisha coffee trees at different altitudes. The following year when coffee was harvested again, Daniel's family sent the Geisha coffee beans with floral and fruity acidity to compete in that year's Best of Panama, ultimately winning the championship with outstanding scores.

Currently, La Esmeralda includes four farms growing coffee: Cañas Verdes, El Velo, and Jaramillo - all three farms grow the Geisha variety, with each farm further divided into different small plots.

La Esmeralda divides Geisha into three brands: Esmeralda Auction (auction), Esmeralda Special (Red Label), and Private Collection (Green Label). Additionally, the Caturra and Catuaí varieties grown in the estate are categorized under the Diamond Mountain brand.

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 entire area's air is humid and cold. Jaramillo is divided into 6 red label plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, Buenos Aires, and the recently added Caballeriza.

The Cañas Verdes estate is often transliterated as Kanas Vidi in Chinese, while in Spanish it translates to "green reeds" or "green fields." Half of Cañas Verdes was purchased together with Jaramillo in 1967. After Geisha became famous through the competition in 2004, the Peterson family gradually began purchasing small surrounding planting areas. As the entire planting area is situated on the eastern slopes of Barú Volcano, the altitude range is quite large, distributed from 1,500 to 2,050 meters.

Cañas Verdes has an annual rainfall of 3500ml, 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 give Geisha its aromatic characteristics. Currently, the Geisha planting areas in Cañas Verdes include 11 small plots: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Jacinta, Cabaña, Tumaco, as well as Nido and Colga.

El Velo is the newest area purchased by La Esmeralda in 2012. It is the highest altitude plot in the estate and the only area that has undergone detailed leveling. Besides primarily producing Geisha, El Velo also grows 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 1,650-1,900 meters up the mountain. The annual rainfall is 4000ml, average daytime temperatures are 16-25°C, and average nighttime temperatures are 11-16°C. The entire area covers 50.25 hectares of coffee planting land, with Geisha accounting for 37.9 hectares, divided into 7 detailed plots: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Mural, Higo, Buena Vista, and Aguila.

As for the lowest altitude Palmira farm, it mainly grows Catuaí, with approximately 30 hectares of planting area, and was the first farm purchased by the Peterson family. It not only serves as La Esmeralda's office area but also houses the processing plant that handles all green beans.

La Esmeralda Geisha: Two Major Grades

Under the management of the Peterson siblings, La Esmeralda's Geisha is divided into 4 major brands sold in the global market, distinguished by cupping performance, harvest processing time, processing method, variety, altitude, and plot area.

Esmeralda Special

Esmeralda Special, commonly known as Red Label, represents La Esmeralda's premium Geisha outside of auction batches. This grade of Geisha is grown at altitudes above 1,600 meters, with cupping scores no lower than 91 points. Each micro-batch has detailed traceability information, including plot, altitude, latitude and longitude, tree age, harvest time, processing method, etc.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's latest Red Label batch is selected from the Trapiche plot, with fruit harvested on February 13th of this year. After 25 days of slow natural drying, it brings rich aromas similar to jasmine, cranberry, passion fruit, citrus, and cinnamon.

Private Collection

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, was once a Geisha batch of excellent quality that didn't participate in auctions. Green Label is a blend of Geishas from different plots in the two main estates at altitudes between 1,600-1,800 meters. With its classic orange fragrance and honey notes, it has become the preferred choice for many "budget-conscious" Geisha fans. Since 2022, La Esmeralda has also indicated the specific sub-estate origin for this grade of Geisha.

Although the Green Label Geisha grade is not as high as the Red Label, it mainly showcases the signature classic flavors of high-altitude Geisha. FrontStreet Coffee's Green Label Geisha uses washed processing, with cupping notes of fresher, more natural lemon, berries, grapefruit, and Tieguanyin tea flavors.

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