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Expert Guide: What's the Difference Between Panama Geisha Coffee Beans and Guatemala Geisha Coffee Beans?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, The Geisha variety was discovered in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia in 1931 and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya; it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania in 1936, to Costa Rica in 1953, and to Panama in the 1970s by Francisco

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Insider Knowledge: What's the Difference Between Panama Geisha and Guatemala Geisha Coffee Beans?

The Geisha variety was discovered in the Geisha forest of Ethiopia in 1931 and then sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya. In 1936, it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania. Costa Rica introduced it in 1953, and in the 1970s, Mr. Francisco Serracin from the Tumba Seven Estate obtained seeds from CATIE in Costa Rica and began growing Geisha coffee.

In the early days, recognition of premium coffee largely followed Japanese standards, with coffee's "king and queen" being Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona. However, as coffee-producing countries continuously improved their standards and information became more accessible, we gained exposure to more specialty coffees. Panama Geisha has become the new king of coffee in recent years.

Geisha swept through the coffee world with hurricane-like force. This coffee revolution came so powerfully that even the long-reigning "king and queen" of the coffee kingdom—Jamaica Blue Mountain and Hawaii Kona—had to step aside. This wild variety, native to Ethiopia, after countless battles, is now cultivated in major coffee-producing regions. Its best ambassador comes from Panama's "La Esmeralda" estate.

History of Esmeralda Estate

In 1924, Swede Hans Elliot established Esmeralda Estate, which was initially a livestock ranch rather than a coffee plantation. Forty years later, in 1964, Mr. Daniel Peterson's grandfather, Rudolph Peterson, purchased Esmeralda Estate as a retirement home. Born in Sweden, the grandfather had served as president of an American bank and director of the United Nations Development Program. His son, Price Peterson, moved from California to Panama in 1973 to inherit and manage his father's estate. In 1987, he converted most of the estate to coffee cultivation. In 1994, to establish a brand, he invested in specialty coffee processing equipment. While Price Peterson and his wife Susan were establishing the coffee estate's formal operations, they also raised three children: Elliott (born 1966 in Philadelphia), Rachel (born 1967 in Sweden), and Daniel (born 1974 in Panama).

In 1996, Price and Rachel visited a farm for sale in the Jaramillo region of the Boquete Valley and were immediately captivated by its beauty, purchasing it on the spot. This became Esmeralda Jaramillo Farm, where their third son, Daniel Peterson, would grow the coffee that captured the world's attention—Geisha coffee!

Geisha is pronounced the same as the Japanese word for geisha, hence its alternate name "Geisha coffee." Because the coffee trees are taller than typical varieties, they were originally planted in a small area of the estate and used as windbreaks. The estate owner's son, seeking to enter the annual Best of Panama coffee competition, tested all coffee varieties on the estate, giving Geisha its opportunity to shine. It later participated in various world coffee competitions, winning a total of eleven championships.

Panama Coffee Growing Environment

Panama is located on the isthmus of Central America, connecting to Colombia in the east, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the south, Costa Rica to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the north. The country's S-shaped geography connects North and South America. The Panama Canal runs from north to south, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, earning it the nickname "Bridge of the World."

Panama's coffee growing areas are located in the western regions of Boquet, Volcan, Santa Clara, and Piedra de Candela, with Boquet and Volcan being the specialty coffee regions we most frequently hear about. Both regions are situated in Chiriquí Province, perfectly centered in the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil and ancient forests. Panama's terrain is varied with numerous valleys and ravines, consisting mostly of mountains except for the coastal plains in the north and south. Located near the equator, it has a tropical maritime climate with humid days and cool nights, with average annual temperatures between 23-27°C. The year is divided into dry and rainy seasons, with average annual precipitation of 1,500-2,500 millimeters.

Panama's Geisha coffee has distinctive floral aromas, rich fruit juice sensations, and complex flavor layers that cannot be compared to Geisha coffee grown in other regions. After La Esmeralda's Geisha became famous, various regions worldwide began growing Geisha, but the flavor never matched that of La Esmeralda's Geisha. This is attributed to Panama's unique microclimate.

Geisha coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. For friends who want to experience Geisha coffee flavors, the price might seem a bit steep. FrontStreet Coffee wants more coffee enthusiasts to experience the delicious taste of Geisha coffee, so we've specially included the washed Boquet Geisha from the Boquet region as one of our daily coffee beans. For those who love and want to try Geisha coffee, this is great news!

La Esmeralda Estate, Panama

La Esmeralda Estate is where Geisha coffee became famous. Located on a corner of Baru Volcano, Panama coffee beans from this region were often named after Baru Mountain before gaining fame. The surrounding area of Boquet features beautiful scenery with many leisure hotels, vacation estates, and even developments along the important Rio Caldera river. In 1964, American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased La Esmeralda Estate in Boquet, initially focusing on dairy production.

After taking over, Price divided the estate's growing areas into five brands based on altitude, microclimate, cupping results, and cultivated varieties. The Geisha varieties include three brands: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500. The Catuai varieties include two brands: Diamond Mountain and Palmyra. FrontStreet Coffee carries both red label and green label Geisha from La Esmeralda Estate, as well as Geisha coffee from other estates such as Elida Estate's Elida coffee, and Geisha coffee from Colombia and Costa Rica.

Panama Geisha coffee primarily uses the most natural processing methods: washed and natural.

Guatemala Growing Environment

Although Panama Geisha is famous and delicious, Geisha coffee from other regions is also excellent. Guatemala coffee naturally has a smoky quality, which comes from its growth environment in volcanic soil—this is a distinctive characteristic of Guatemala coffee. Located in the center of North and South America, Guatemala holds an important position in Central America. With a subtropical climate and high-altitude volcanic terrain, Guatemala's mild climate and fertile soil create an excellent environment for coffee cultivation. Therefore, coffee is an important economic crop for Guatemala, with coffee beans accounting for approximately 40% of the country's total agricultural exports.

Guatemala shares borders with Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. To the south, it borders the Pacific Ocean, and to the east, it meets the Gulf of Honduras in the Caribbean Sea. Its land borders connect with Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, and Belize, with a total area of 108,889 square kilometers. Guatemala is located in the tropics, with the northern and eastern coastal plains having a tropical rainforest climate, while the southern mountains have a subtropical climate. The year is divided into dry and wet seasons, with May-October being the wet season and November to April being the dry season. The narrow, fertile plains along Guatemala's Pacific coast have a tropical climate. The central highlands are also Guatemala's cultural center, where at altitudes of 1,300 to 1,800 meters, temperatures remain mild year-round, with daily temperatures between 18-28°C. At higher elevations, January and February tend to be colder. Annual precipitation ranges from 2,000-3,000 millimeters in the northeast and 500-1,000 millimeters in the south.

Injerto White Rock Geisha, Guatemala

Injerto Estate can be considered a representative estate in Guatemala. Having won numerous awards worldwide, and with its location featuring fertile volcanic soil and unique microclimate conditions, the estate produces coffee of exceptional quality. As Guatemala's most famous coffee estate, Injerto produces two Geisha varieties: one from Panama and one from Malawi. The Panama Geisha seeds came from La Esmeralda Estate. Through careful cultivation, it has become Injerto's most popular coffee after the Pacamara variety, with auction prices even exceeding the previously dominant Pacamara.

The Geisha auctioned by Sang Ho Park is the Panama Geisha, which Injerto named: Young Gesha Central America. It comes from a very remote micro-region within the estate—White Rock—located beneath massive cliffs with beautiful views of the Injerto Valley. White Rock is a newly developed Geisha region, having only its second harvest season last year. The seeds come from Injerto's most famous Geisha region, La Calaca, and is classified by Injerto as second-generation Geisha. In the estate's own global auction, it represents a distinct batch from the African Geisha batches that come from Malawi.

Injerto Estate is located in the Huehuetenango highlands of Guatemala. It has won 9 awards in Guatemala's Cup of Excellence (CoE), with 5 championships, the most recent being in 2015. Injerto was first famous for its Bourbon variety, then Pacamara for several years, followed by Geisha. In the 2017 Cup of Excellence, Injerto's Geisha took second place! This Geisha is from the 2016 Injerto Estate auction batch.

About the Pacamara Variety

Pacamara gained worldwide fame through the Cup of Excellence (COE) in 2004, frequently winning championships within 2-3 years. The Pacamara produced by Guatemala's Injerto Estate set a record price of $80.2 per pound of green beans in 2008. The origin of its variety and name comes from crossing the large-bean Maragogipe with Pacas—taking the first 4 letters of Maragogipe and Pacas to form Pacamara. It's an excellent coffee variety developed in El Salvador. The coffee beans are very large, similar to elephant beans at about 21-22 screen size, making it one of Central and South America's outstanding coffee varieties in recent years.

Independent Washing Technology

Injerto employs local workers at twice the standard wage to hand-select fully ripe coffee cherries. The estate has its own water processing facility. After pulping, the beans undergo two rounds of size grading. They are then washed with clean mountain spring water before entering clean water tanks for 2 days of fermentation, followed by 7 days of sun drying. The beans are then stored in warehouses for at least 45 days before being sent for professional cupping.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Coffee Bean Roasting Recommendations:

To highlight the unique characteristics and aroma of Geisha beans, FrontStreet Coffee uses light roasting. This roast level better brings out the beans' inherent qualities, as darker roasting would diminish the floral aromas and fruit acidity. Of course, adjustments should be made based on the coffee beans' characteristics and the roaster's understanding of the beans themselves. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee has found that Geisha coffee beans have rich layers of flavor, so we recommend brewing with slightly lower coffee concentration to allow the various layers of Geisha coffee flavors to be more distinct. We recommend a brewing ratio of 1:15, using water at 90-91°C for brewing. For grind size, we recommend medium-fine grinding (Chinese standard 20-mesh sieve with 80% pass-through rate).

How to Brew Panama Geisha Coffee Beans?

FrontStreet Coffee recommends using pour-over brewing,即 hand-drip coffee. For those who want to experience rich layers of flavor, you can use a V60 dripper. For those who prefer fuller coffee flavors, you can use a cake dripper. FrontStreet Coffee typically uses V60 drippers for our daily offerings because the 60-degree angle design and spiral rib pattern allow baristas to fully extract the essence of Geisha coffee by controlling water flow and pour frequency, while the large drainage hole design prevents over-extraction.

The V60 dripper features flow ribs connecting the top and bottom with a large circular hole at the center, accelerating water drainage. The spiral-shaped air vent design extends the water flow path, increasing contact time between coffee grounds and hot water. Each water stream converges along the grooves toward the dripper's center point, concentrating pressure on the coffee grounds and resulting in coffee with richer flavor layers.

Dripper: Hario V60, Water temperature: 91°C, Coffee amount: 15g, Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15, Grind level: Chinese standard 20-mesh sieve with 80% pass-through rate

Panama Washed Boquet Geisha Coffee Flavor Characteristics: Distinctive clear acidity of citrus, lemon, and bergamot, with a creamy smooth mouthfeel when swallowed, finishing with the sweetness of green tea and honey.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations:

When it comes to coffee brewing, FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans greatly affects the coffee's flavor. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly roasted good coffee," ensuring that every customer receives the freshest coffee when their order arrives. The coffee's resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee would like to gently remind you: Once coffee beans are ground in advance, they don't need further resting. During transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging also helps round out the coffee's flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly, as it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee's flavor will dissipate more rapidly, and the taste won't be as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.