Showcases the full aromatic potential of Esmeralda Geisha, backed up by a deep richness from the natural process.

GEISHA

The lost varietal

As seems fitting for a coffee produced at Hacienda La Esmeralda, this lot is 100% Geisha. Although Geisha shot to stardom thanks to Esmeralda in 2004, its story starts much earlier. A native Ethiopian varietal, Geisha was isolated by British researchers in the Gesha region of Ethiopia in the 1930’s, and thereafter studied at research stations in Kenya and Tanzania. It was much later introduced into Panama during an outbreak of leaf rust, due to observed resistance to the disease. The varietal was planted sporadically, blended into lots with other varietals, and mainly forgotten about until the Petersons cupped a small amount separately at their farm in 2004, and from there started the rise of Geisha within specialty coffee. The Geisha varietal, planted at high altitude and processed using a careful washed method, unveiled its crisp citrus and floral aromatics for the first time, and stunned coppers at that year’s Best of Panama auction. Nowadays Geisha lots, especially from Panama, have seen skyrocketing auction prices, starting from $21 dollars per pound in 2004, a record at the time, to a new high of $803/lb in 2018.