Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans Origin Story Red Green Blue Label Grade Flavor Comparison

Geisha coffee beans became famous when Panama's La Esmeralda farm identified them, cultivated them, and won first place in the Best of Panama green bean competition. In the following decade or two, La Esmeralda has consistently ranked among the top entries year after year. The Esmeralda Geisha Red, Green, and Blue Labels are daily use beans at FrontStreet Coffee. The English name for Geisha is "Geisha," which Japanese speakers transliterated as "Geisha" (meaning "geisha"). Later, Mr. Yuan introduced it to the Chinese market and translated it as "Guixia."

FrontStreet Coffee previously detailed the complete story of Panama La Esmeralda's Geisha in an earlier article, which you can refer to for reading. We won't elaborate further here—this article only explains the grade differences between Red, Green, and Blue Label Geisha.

Daniel Peterson, the owner of Panama La Esmeralda, accidentally discovered coffee trees with special morphology growing at lower elevations in the newly acquired Jaramillo farm. Through coffee consultant Don Pachi, he learned that these coffee trees were Geisha, originally introduced from Costa Rica to improve Panama's coffee disease resistance. However, due to low yields, many farmers had already cut them down. But Daniel decided to plant these coffee trees at higher elevations, and they surprisingly produced the characteristic citrus and floral notes of African beans. After separating these coffee beans and entering them in the 2004 Panama Cupping Competition, they instantly became famous. Since then, Geisha beans have been unstoppable, winning the Panama Coffee Cupping Competition championship for consecutive years. In the eyes of specialty coffee enthusiasts worldwide today, Geisha coffee beans are undoubtedly the supreme treasure.

La Esmeralda Geisha Farm Division

High-quality Geisha is mainly produced from two farm estates: Jaramillo and Canas Verdess.

Jaramillo: Annual rainfall of 4000ml, average daytime temperature of 19-25°C, average nighttime temperature of 11-15°C, average elevation of 1600-1700m. The Jaramillo farm is subdivided into 5 small plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, and Buenos Aires.

Canas Verdess: Annual rainfall of 3500ml, average daytime temperature of 16-23°C, average nighttime temperature of 10-15°C, average elevation of 1600-1800m. Canas includes 9 small plots: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Chinta, Cabaña, and Tumaco.

El Velo: This is the newest farm purchased by La Esmeralda, with an average elevation of 1700-1900m. Besides planting Geisha and Catuai, this farm also has small quantities of other exotic varieties such as Laurina, Pacamara, Moka, and SL28. El Velo is divided into 7 small plots: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Mural, Higo, Buena Vista, and Guila.

After years of experimentation, Panama La Esmeralda discovered that only Panama Geisha coffee beans harvested from coffee trees growing above 1,400 meters elevation can display the special flavors that Geisha coffee beans should have. Therefore, the main grading is primarily based on planting altitude, supplemented by actual cupping results, to divide Geisha beans into "Red, Green, Blue Label" grades. FrontStreet Coffee believes that La Esmeralda's marketing strategy differs most from other farms in that it divides products into five major brands based on cupping performance, planted varieties, and farm locations. The Geisha varieties have three brands: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. The Catuai varieties have two brands: Diamond Mountain and Palmyra.

Panama Geisha Coffee Characteristics

Panama Geisha coffee beans are a very rare coffee variety that has continuously created sensations among coffee connoisseurs worldwide over the past 5+ years. Geisha coffee beans are considered the brightest, most complex, and highly aromatic coffee variety.

Geisha coffee trees grow in very high altitude areas and have beautiful, slender leaves. Geisha coffee cherries and green Geisha beans are also slightly more slender compared to other top-quality high-altitude coffees. Geisha has rich sweetness, an extremely clean mouthfeel, and complex aromas that range from berries and citrus to mango, papaya, and peach. A very distinct bergamot-like aftertaste is also one of its typical cupping characteristics. Geisha coffee beans are often champions among coffee varieties. Geisha coffee beans cup with moderate body.

Esmeralda Special - Commonly Known as Red Label

The Geisha produced by Esmeralda Special is what we commonly hear as the Red Label. It selects Geisha coffee beans planted at elevations of 1600-1800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, from the two production areas of Jaramillo and Canas Verdes. The independent auctions held by La Esmeralda feature only the Geisha batches from designated plots that are put up for auction, and these are the auction Red Labels. Customers often ask whether auction Red Labels or regular Red Labels taste better. In fact, non-auction Red Labels and auction Red Labels come from the same plots—the difference is whether they participated in the auction. FrontStreet Coffee believes you don't necessarily need to drink auction-level beans—first, the price is indeed quite high, and second, if you just want to try them, regular Red Labels are also a good choice.

FrontStreet Coffee's La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha comes from the Mario plot, because this plot is exactly where Geisha won the BOP championship back in the day. Using slow natural drying, the Esmeralda roasted flavor has special, bright floral aromas, citrus notes, and honey-like sweetness.

Private Collection - Commonly Known as Green Label

Private Collection, commonly known as Green Label, consists of non-auction competition batches, selecting Geisha varieties from different plots including Jaramillo and Canas Verdess that don't participate in auctions but still have excellent quality. It selects Geisha coffee beans planted at elevations of 1600-1800 meters, from micro-batches mixed from different plots including Jaramillo, Canas Verdess, and others. People often ask about the difference between Red Label and Green Label. FrontStreet Coffee gives the most straightforward answer: Red Label can be traced back to which specific plot, while Green Label is a blended bean that cannot be traced. Due to the blending model, there's no detailed plot specification, so sometimes Green Label and Red Label may have very similar flavor profiles, but the next batch might be different. FrontStreet Coffee feels that drinking Green Label is like buying a lottery ticket—perhaps this batch you're drinking tastes like Red Label. Green Label Geisha will be processed using natural/washed processing methods.

FrontStreet Coffee's La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha uses washed processing. The washed Green Label Geisha has fresh jasmine and ginger flower aromas, citrus-like bright acidity, and a thick, juicy mouthfeel.

Geisha 1500 - Commonly Known as Blue Label

The Geisha 1500 brand is what we commonly see as Blue Label Geisha. It selects blended beans from three different plots—Jaramillo, Canas Verdess, and El Velo—at elevations of 1400-1500 meters. The flavor has subtle floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less full body. Blue Label Geisha is only washed processed. However, in 2022, the Blue Label has been changed to the "Los Rocas" (Volcanic Rock) brand. Frontsteet has also tasted this new Blue Label, and the flavor profile remains.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Blue Label Geisha has slight floral notes, fruit acidity, and sweetness, with a less full body, while the natural processed Blue Label has subtle floral notes, obvious fermentation notes, and a berry juice-like mouthfeel with high sweetness.

Frontsteet Roasting Recommendations for 4 La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans

[Red Label Geisha]

Heat to 150°C, fire power 120, damper open to 3; Return temperature point at 1'36", when temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 4, fire power unchanged; When temperature reaches 147.6°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, enter dehydration stage; When temperature reaches 150°C, adjust fire power to 100, damper unchanged; At 7'38", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack—need to listen carefully for first crack sound; At 8'10" first crack begins, open damper to 4, develop for 1'28 after first crack, discharge at 189.5°C.

[Green Label Geisha]

Heat to 190°C, fire power 150, damper open to 3; Return temperature point at 1'36", when temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 4, fire power reduced to 130; When temperature reaches 150.8°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, enter dehydration stage; When temperature reaches 161°C, adjust fire power to 90, damper unchanged; At 7'55", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack—need to listen carefully for first crack sound; At 8'30" first crack begins, open damper to 5, develop for 1'30 after first crack, discharge at 193.5°C.

[Washed Blue Label Geisha]

Heat to 180°C, fire power 130, damper open to 3; Return temperature point at 1'32", when temperature reaches 104°C, open damper to 4, fire power unchanged; When temperature reaches 151.6°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, enter dehydration stage; At 7'56", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack—need to listen carefully for first crack sound; At 8'30" first crack begins, open damper to 5, develop for 1'28 after first crack, discharge at 190°C.

[Natural Blue Label Geisha]

Heat to 180°C, fire power 130, damper open to 3; Return temperature point at 1'32", when temperature reaches 104°C, open damper to 4, fire power unchanged; When temperature reaches 151.6°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, enter dehydration stage; At 7'56", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack—need to listen carefully for first crack sound; At 8'30" first crack begins, open damper to 5, develop for 1'28 after first crack, discharge at 190°C.

Frontsteet Cupping Report for 4 La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans

[Red Label Geisha]
Dry Aroma: Jasmine, citrus
Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon, honey
Tasting: Lemon, honey, berries, orange peel, mango, cream, citrus, tea notes

[Green Label Geisha]
Dry Aroma: Jasmine, ginger flower
Wet Aroma: Lemon, sweet orange
Tasting: Lemon, sweet orange, honey, cream, almond, tea notes

[Washed Blue Label Geisha]
Dry Aroma: Floral, citrus
Wet Aroma: Citrus, lemon
Tasting: Citrus, lemon, honey, nuts, tea notes

[Natural Blue Label Geisha]
Dry Aroma: Fermentation, caramel
Wet Aroma: Floral, fermentation aroma
Tasting: Lemon, honey, melon, berries, fermentation notes

Frontsteet Brewing Recommendations for 4 La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans

Brewing Parameters:
Dripper: V60 #01
Coffee amount: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:16
Grind size: (80% pass-through through #20 sieve)
Water temperature: 90-91°C

Frontsteet recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans for brewing to maximize the rich flavors of the coffee. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days, because Frontsteet deeply understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor. Frontsteet's roasting philosophy is "Freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer receives the freshest coffee when they receive their order. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive it, it's at peak flavor.

Frontsteet considers that these Geisha coffee beans are all light roasted. Light roasted beans have lower coffee substance dissolution rates than dark roasted ones, so to ensure full extraction of Geisha flavors, higher water temperatures are used for brewing, along with a finer grind size. Fans have noticed that Frontsteet has always recommended a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, but for La Esmeralda Geisha it's 1:16. This is because slightly increasing the water ratio helps better experience Geisha's layers and flavor complexity.

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, also called three-stage brewing. Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then pour with small circular motion to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 2'00"-2'00".

[Red Label] Bright rose and citrus aromas, brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruits, honey, with thick juice-like mouthfeel, rich flavor layers, and obvious sweetness.

[Green Label] Rich jasmine floral aroma, high sweetness, citrus, berries, juice-like texture, cream, green tea, orange peel, cantaloupe, overall rich flavor layers, with persistent floral and citrus aftertaste.

[Washed Blue Label] Floral aroma, with gentle lemon and grapefruit acidity on entry, honey sweetness in the middle, oolong tea notes and brown sugar sweetness in the finish, with a relatively clean and bright mouthfeel.

[Natural Blue Label] Fermentation aroma and fruity sweetness on the nose, with melon and tropical fruit sweetness when tasting, juice-like mouthfeel, overall very high sweetness.

Important Notice :

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