Geisha – A Sweet Cup of Luxury
Updated: Dec 16, 2020
Gesha, a coffee varietal discovered in Ethiopia back in the 1930's. Its name relates to its origin: the town of Gesha. With time (and I suspect some misspelling), the name eventually mutated, and now it is commonly known as Geisha. By way of Costa Rica, the varietal made its modern day appearance in Central America in 2004.
The first Geisha ever auctioned was a washed Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and it was sold for $21 per pound. To put this in perspective, the most expensive auctioned coffee at that moment was sold at $4.80 per pound. A long way from Ethiopia, Geisha became world-famous in Panama in 2019 when coffee of this varietal produced by Lamastus Family Estates won the Specialty Coffee Association competition with an outstanding score of 95.25 over 100. Months later a one pound bag of that same coffee sold at the Best of Panama auction for over $1,000. Yup, you read it right–$1,000! This record-breaking price was revolutionary. It put Panama in the international headlines, and made Geisha a luxury statement.
You might wonder what makes Geisha special. The answer: it is rare, expensive to produce, and its flavor is superior. Together with Panama Geisha, a few varietals are currently recognized in the world of coffee for exceptional qualities and high price tags: Kona, Jamaican Blue Mountain, and Kopi Luwak. Nowadays, in addition to Panama, you may also find fantastic Geisha coffees in other countries including Colombia.
What to expect? It is typical to find floral notes and flavors of jasmine as well as red and tropical fruits in Geisha. The specific characteristics vary depending on the origin, but this cup of luxury will delight you with lingering sweetness, a smooth body, and very distinctive fruit notes.
FEATURED PRODUCT:
La Reina is an exclusive coffee from our Luxury Collection. Medium roasted to perfection, its delicate and complex profile offers a silky body, a prolonged sweet residual, floral notes of jasmine, and unique chocolate flavors not usually found in this varietal. These beans originate from Hacienda La Suiza, a family-owned estate locates in the heart of Colombia's tropical mountains. Carefully selected by hand and processed by anaerobic fermentation, La Reina is an excellent scoring coffee unique to its kind.