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PANAMA La Esmeralda Geisha 1500M

"I am the least religious person here and when I tasted geisha coffee I saw the face of God in a cup!"

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda
  • Since:1996
  • Planting area:20 Hectares
  • Farm size:200 Hectares
  • Avg. Temp/Rainfall:15-17℃/3,500mm
  • Growing Region:Boquete
  • Altitude:1,500M
  • Variety: Geisha
  • Soil Type:vocano soil
  • Grade:SHB
  • Process:Washed Process
  • Harvest:man-made gather
  • Certifications:Rainforest Alliance
  • Avg. Temp/Rainfall:15℃
36 Aromas in coffee

Potato, Coffee Blossom, Rose, Dark Chocolate, Maple Syrup, Lemon Citrus, Apple

Award Records
  • 1st Place - Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality (2013,2009,2008,2007,2006,2004)
  • 1st Place - Best of Panama (2017,2015,2013,2010,2009,2007,2006,2005,2004)
  • 1st Place - Specialty Coffee Association of America / Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion (2007,2006,2005)

The heavenly fragrance of Geisha is indeed a feast! It was once crowned by Forbes as one of the "Top 10 Most Expensive Coffee",and its long list of accolades is a strong testament to its superior taste.This coffee variety originated from a forest near a town called Gesha in the west-southern region of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in 1931. In the turn of the century, Geisha coffee has been brought into Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, CostaRica and etc. Finally in 1970, Geisha coffee has been brought into Panama for cultivation.

The year 2002 is a turning point for La Esmeralda estate. The second-generation owners of the estate felt that due to the mixed harvesting of coffee from the two different regions in the estate, although reviews were good overall, the coffee cannot achieve a homogeneity in quality and taste. There is a mild whiff of fruitiness and sweetness from tangerines that should have originated from some of the more superior coffee cultivated in the estate. Therefore he started to perform cupping on every cultivation region one by one, and eventually found out that the best results were from the higher altitude valleys in the estate known as the Jaramillo region. The coffee trees here are narrow but tall and hence could produce only limited coffee. After further research, he then realized that coffee that thrive in high altitude regions with low temperature conditions is the famous Geisha coffee. Geisha coffee beans have been crowned since 2004 and managed to defend its title until 2010. Don Holly, a cupper who was once a judge at Best of Panama ("BOP"), even exclaimed that "I am the least religious person here and when I tasted geisha coffee I saw the face of God in a cup!"