Short Guide to Geisha Coffee in Panama:
A Tasty Experience when visiting Panama!
If traveling to Panama you MUST try a cup of Panama Geisha Coffee. The most well-known brand which placed Panama Geisha coffee on the map is Panama’s Esmeralda Special. Any coffee you’ve tasted before will not compare with the tasting experience of drinking a cup of Panama Geisha coffee. The particularity of this coffee bean variety is its citrus-like flavor, jasmine aroma, balanced acidity and long finish; many coffee experts have called it almost PERFECT!
If you happen to be a coffee lover and you’re planning a trip to Panama, you can have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to indulge in a cup of coffee so rare that it became one of the priciest coffee beans ever sold in auction. Panama Geisha coffee is found in the ranks of Indonesia’s Kopi Luwak coffee, an exotic coffee that’s only roasted after it’s been eaten and pooped out by palm civets! (Um, I think I will stick to the beans in their pure form myself!) Panama Geisha coffee might come right from the coffee tree but it has reached an astonishing bid price of $130 USD a pound. Drinking a cup of Panama Geisha coffee while visiting Panama City or Boquete, where the Esmeralda Special is grown, can become one of the special highlights of your Panama travel. If you’re a coffee lover and have not planned a trip to Panama, you are missing out! Now you know your next vacation destination. In fact, Hacienda Esmeralda holds an auction every year in May for their special Geisha Coffee.
Panama’s Geisha Coffee: A Little Taste of its History
When I first heard the name Panama Geisha Coffee, I have to admit (as I cannot call myself a coffee connoisseur) the first thing that crossed my mind was JAPAN! So after my dumb moment I learned that the Geisha or Gesha coffee varietal comes from a region in southwest Ethiopia where it was first discovered in 1931. It was brought to Central America around the 50’s and the Geisha coffee tree arrived to Panama from Costa Rica around 1963.
Back in the day, the Geisha coffee tree was kind of left unnoticed after the boom of mass-produced coffee and remained in oblivion until Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete in the Chiriqui province of western Panama was bought by Rudolf A. Peterson, former Bank of America president, and his family. After Peterson’s grandchild Daniel played around with the mix of coffee trees planted on their land, he “rediscovered” the Geisha tree and MAGIC! The world was taken by surprise, particularly after Daniel replanted the taller and finest Geisha coffee plants to higher altitudes within its farm and around 2003-2004 the Panama Geisha coffee bloomed and Esmeralda Special, as the world got to know it, was born.
Geisha Coffee in Panama: Almost Perfect
The Esmeralda Special Geisha coffee grows in the highlands of Chiripiqui in western Panama. Hacienda La Esmeralda, which produces the Esmeralda Special geisha coffee beans, is located in Boquete, Panama. The Panama Geisha coffee trees benefit from the microclimate provided by this region, its high altitudes between 1450 and 1700 feet above sea level and its rich volcanic soil.
Panama’s Geisha coffee distinguishes itself from other coffee varietals because of its light body, honey and citrus flavor, intense yet subtle acidity and floral jasmine-like aroma. It gives some shimmers of white wine, a chocolate-like underbelly and a long finish with bergamot tones; it is without a doubt a very special coffee, flavorful and long-lasting. No need to add any milk, cream or sugar, it would actually be a crime! You should taste it in its very natural state, and when it cools down the flavors grow even stronger!
Some reviews qualify Panama Geisha Coffee with a total score of 93 to 95!
Tasting Notes:
- Dry Fragance (1-5): between 4.5 and 4.7
- Wet Aroma (1-5): between 4.5 and 4.75
- Flavor (1-10): between 9.1 and 10.0
- Finish (1-10): between 9.4 and 9.5
- Acidity (1-10): between 8.1 and 8.25
- Body (1-10): between 7.6 and 7.75
TOTAL (subtotal + 50) = 93.2 – 94.95
Geisha: Award Winning Coffee in Panama
Panama’s Geisha Coffee is not mass-produced, although more and more farms are switching to this coffee varietal after the short but successful history of Esmeralda Special. This specialty coffee has set the bar high for national and international coffee growers during a time where quantity is not as important as before.
Esmeralda Special established itself as number one for many years in the Best of Panama coffee competitions as well as other international face-offs, or better said “taste-offs”, such as the Specialty Coffee of America Roaster’s Guild competition, the Specialty Coffee Association annual Coffee of the Year competition and the Rainforest Alliance Cupping.
Surprisingly for 2013 a new “brand” of Panama Geisha Coffee figured as finalist for the 2013 Best of Panama: the Janson Farm Geisha. This farm is located west of the Volcán Baru, in Chiripiqui as opposed to Boquete. Anyhow, there is no doubt that the boom of Geisha coffee in Panama and the world is attributed to the Peterson’s and Hacienda Esmeralda.
Where to Buy Geisha Coffee in Panama
If wandering around Panama City, head to Bajareque Coffee House & Roastery in Casco Antiguo, located on Calle 1 next to Platea and in front of what’s left from Club Union, and there you’ll find freshly brewed Geisha!
If you happen to include Boquete on your Panama travel itinerary, you could also get some Esmeralda Special Geisha Coffee right from the source at Hacienda Esmeralda.
Some other varietals can be found in supermarkets, including the 2013 Best of Panama winner Janson Geisha.
Have a lovely trip to Panama and enjoy a cup of the best java in the world!