Is Geisha/Gesha Coffee the Best? Flavor, Taste, and Aroma Characteristics of Premium Gesha Coffee Beans

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee became world-renowned entirely by chance—a retired Swedish-American banker, Rudolph Petersen, bought Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama to enjoy his retirement. The coffee trees on the estate bore fruit, and he casually sent them to participate in a coffee competition. Unexpectedly, this unintentional act won first place in the 2004 Panama Specialty Coffee Competition, making it famous overnight.

This coffee variety, which had never appeared in any coffee competition before, began to attract everyone's attention. However, most people held a wait-and-see attitude, with some even believing it was a fluke. But unexpectedly, this coffee bean continued to win the championship the following year, making it impossible to ignore. Due to the limited production of this coffee bean, people turned to other countries to buy Geisha coffee beans. However, in the following years, Hacienda La Esmeralda continued to win championships year after year, essentially becoming Panama's national treasure. But winning only Panama's championship was certainly not enough. In 2005, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha defeated heroes from around the world in the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) competition, winning the title of world's best. It went on to win world championships again in 2006 and 2007. At this point, Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha had become a sensational topic in coffee circles worldwide. To date, Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee has won a total of 12 championships in various coffee competitions.

With an aura of invincibility, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha became the dream treasure of the coffee world. "Its floral aroma is like fireworks, continuously blooming in your mouth during tasting, with notes of lemon, citrus, and strawberry-like juice, making it more like juice than coffee." A Geisha coffee enthusiast once said: what other coffee can be as dominating as Geisha? Drinking Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee every year has become an essential annual ritual for coffee lovers, much like a birthday feast. Geisha's dry aroma is very uplifting and bright, with characteristics of rose and jasmine fragrance, and can also bring out hints of honey pomelo and citrus aroma; light roast has nutty aroma; the wet aroma also has hazelnut notes, and more floral characteristics emerge. In terms of mouthfeel and flavor, the initial phase might be slightly milder and reserved compared to the previous uplifting aroma. Let it cool slightly, and the floral and fruit flavors gradually rise as the temperature decreases. The cold aroma is exceptionally outstanding (sweet dried fruit, rosehip, orange glaze, strawberry jam, hints of pine, cherry, vanilla, rose flavors gradually fade, revealing lemon-like fruit aroma). With proper roasting, the sensation they bring you is simply like sipping the fragrance of a bouquet of fresh flowers.

Hacienda La Esmeralda won the BOP (Best of Panama) competition five times in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010, and captured the American Specialty Coffee Association cupping championship for three consecutive years in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Its glorious scene was unparalleled for a time, which also established its status as the "Geisha Holy Land" in the coffee world.

Finca Las Diosas grows coffee using organic methods, utilizing local native trees and fruit trees as shade for coffee. The fertilizer used is also made from coffee cherry pulp mixed with molasses, combined with mineral-rich soil from nearby mountains and fermented with microorganisms to create organic fertilizer that enhances coffee trees' disease resistance. They are also accustomed to using California earthworms for soil cultivation and directly provide them as the main nutrient source for coffee trees during fertilization periods. They cultivate multiple coffee varieties mixed together,一律收购选采熟透的红紫色浆果并且广密地控制浸泡发酵过程，发展出非常独特的恒温处理法，不多也不少的发酵程度让咖啡的清澈度与复杂度获得了绝佳的平衡，让其风味表现出更加的稳定度，把Geisha哪一种很特别的风味一缕缕的表现出来，真的是会让人陶醉不已

Geisha Mountain in southwestern Ethiopia (coincidentally with the same pronunciation as the Japanese word for geisha) exported to Kenya, wandered through Tanzania and Costa Rica, and was transplanted to Panama in the 1960s. After nearly half a century, it finally made a stunning impact, defeating perennial champions like Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica varieties, sweeping the first prizes in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Panama National Treasure Bean Cupping Competition. In 2007, at the International Famous Bean Cupping Competition hosted by the American Specialty Coffee Association (SCAA), Geisha won again, with a bidding price of $130 per pound, setting the highest price record for competition beans in history. It is reported that subsequent Panama National Treasure Bean competitions would be divided into Geisha and non-Geisha groups to avoid Geisha stealing the spotlight from other varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Suggestion

This Geisha from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda grows in the Boquete region at an altitude of 1600-1800 meters. When we conducted our first test roast:

September 30th, sunny day, roasting room temperature 27°C, humidity 40%, roasting green label Geisha. We received 2018 season green label Geisha from 1600-1800 meters altitude, characterized by high hardness and high density. The beans are full-bodied, thick and long, with pointed ends. We chose 170°C as the drop-in temperature. First crack began at 8'00", reduced heat to 80°C, damper adjusted to 3.5. After first crack, development for 1'30", dropped at 193.5°C. The beans had oolong tea aroma when dropped, with a concentrated first crack roast level.

Cupping results: The initial acidity is refined and gentle. Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda [Green Label Geisha] has rich flavor layers, with an instant burst of floral and fruit aromas upon entry! The flavors change with temperature, from jasmine and citrus to berries, honeysuckle, finally transforming into fruit candy, oolong tea aroma, with cantaloupe aftertaste at the end.

Peach sweetness and honey aroma, refreshing and comfortable, bright yet balanced, with extremely strong aromatic layers. The fruit sweetness and aftertaste are intense, with strawberry fruit notes and strong yet gentle citrus-lemon acidity upon entry. It simply doesn't taste like the coffee you're familiar with.

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