Panama's Esmeralda Farm's Geisha coffee is arguably the most famous coffee brand in the world.
We have introduced various aspects of Esmeralda Farm so far, but we would like to take this opportunity to explain once again why it is so famous.

Hacienda La Esmeralda, known as a farm producing the world's finest coffee beans, is located in Boquete, Chiriqui province, western Panama. Located at an average altitude of 1,600m at the foot of Baru Volcano, the farm is blessed with a natural environment including abundant rainfall, rich soil, and well-preserved forests.
They have four farms, do not use pesticides, hand-pick only fully ripe fruit, and take great care in refining and drying the fruit after harvesting.

Esmeralda Farm is owned by the Peterson family.

Originally a pasture, coffee began to be planted there in the late 1980s. In 1997, the company purchased a new farm called "Jaramillo" and expanded its coffee farm.
Geisha variety happened to be planted on this land.

The Peterson family realized that Geisha had a special flavor and began growing and producing coffee in an unprecedented way.
Geisha coffee produced in this way was exhibited at the international auction, Best of Panama, in 2004, where it won the bid of $21 per pound, the highest price ever paid at the time.

Geisha variety, with its unique flavor characteristics, quickly became known around the world as a high-priced coffee.

From that year on, Esmeralda Farm's Geisha won the Best of Panama Award for four consecutive years and continued to break its own record for the price it sold for. In 2007, it broke the previous record by a huge amount, selling for $130 per pound, and in 2008, a special auction was held just for Esmeralda Farm, giving it a completely different treatment.
 
In 2011, Geisha Natural was offered at auction for the first time. Geisha Natural has gradually become more popular than Washed Geisha, and in 2017, Geisha Natural from Esmeralda Farm's Caña Verde (Montaña plot) farm sold for an unprecedented $601 per pound, the highest price ever in the world, attracting worldwide attention.
 
These achievements, such as repeated victories at Best of Panama and the world's highest bids, have helped spread the name of Esmeralda Farm and Geisha as a special coffee.

Esmeralda Farm's Geisha comes in three brands: "Esmeralda Special," "Private Collection," and " Geisha 1500."

 

The highest rank, "Esmeralda Special," is a brand that can only be given to Geisha of special quality that are put up for private auction.

This award is given only to lots grown in the Jaramillo and Caña Verde plots, which are located at an altitude of 1,600m to 1,800m, and which receive a cupping rating of 90 points or higher.

Even at Esmeralda Farm, which has extensive experience cultivating Geisha , cup quality varies depending on the climate, environment, and timing of production, and only a small percentage of Geisha can be considered top of the line. Esmeralda Special is a micro lot, and is the world's finest Geisha , and only select lots are given the name after rigorous selection.

 

Like Esmeralda Special, Private Collection is a blend of lots grown in an area between 1600m and 1800m above sea level. Although it does not achieve a score of 90, it is a brand that allows you to fully experience the rich aroma and other characteristics of the high-altitude Geisha grown in Esmeralda, which has a rating of 87-90 points.

 

 

" Geisha 1500" is Geisha grown in an area above 1,400 meters. Although it is not grown at high altitudes as Esmeralda Farm does, it has a refreshing flavor and is managed in the same way as the top brands.

Within the Esmeralda Estate there are three estates that cultivate Geisha variety: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes and El Velo.

Jaramillo is the farm where the Peterson family first discovered Geisha by chance. Perpetually shrouded in fog, the farm has Geisha planted in plots at altitudes between 1,600 and 1,700 meters, producing some of the most representative lots of Esmeralda Geisha .

On the other hand, Caña Verde is cultivated at an altitude of around 2,000m, while Jaramillo's maximum altitude is around 1,700m, and the different microclimate from Jaramillo produces Geisha with different characteristics.

Incidentally, Caña Verde was included in the Esmeralda farm when the Peterson family first acquired it in the late 1960s. However, at the time, the farm was used as a beef cattle pasture, and coffee cultivation did not begin in earnest until the 1990s.

Elbero is the newest of the Esmeralda estates, and in addition to Geisha , many other experimental varieties are planted here.

Furthermore, each farm is divided into more than 10 sections based on differences in slope and geographical conditions, meaning that in total, dozens of sections produce their own distinctive lots.

In fact, until the early 1990s, there was no concept of separating varieties of Panamanian coffee, and it was all shipped together to the general public.

In the 1990s, the Panama Specialty Coffee Association was founded, and international coffee competitions began to be held. This led some producers to separate coffee varieties, but Esmeralda Farm continued to conduct even more careful testing.

Geisha discovered at the Jaramillo Farm was planted in plots at higher altitudes, and the cherries harvested from each plot on the farm were carefully selected and evaluated to select the lots to be sent to the competition.

As mentioned above, the "Jaramillo Special" created in this way was sold at the 2004 "Best of Panama" auction for an unprecedented price at the time.

After this success, the estate further separated its lots and created three brands: Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Geisha 1500.

Furthermore, in recent years, there has been a trend towards even greater segmentation. Lot sizes have become smaller and more segmented than before, and efforts have been focused in recent years on nano-lot developments that bring out the individuality of each product.

Lots vary depending on the harvest date, and the timing of harvesting is determined based on the ripeness of the cherries and the weather conditions at the time, and the subsequent process is adjusted depending on the condition of the cherries.

The main farms where Geisha is grown are Jaramillo, where the Peterson family first discovered Geisha by chance, and Caña Verde, which is at a higher altitude and from which many auction lots are now produced.

Caña Verde is divided into 12 plots, which are scattered across the slopes rather than being one large farm area. All but Diamond Mountain, which grows Catuai, grow Geisha .

Each plot has its own unique flavor, with slight differences in climate, temperature, sunlight, and soil. Each plot is several hectares in size, with the Montaña being just 0.5 hectares in size.

This is very interesting, so below is a list of the flavors of each Caña Verde plot as indicated by the farm.

Montaña: Bergamot, jasmine, peach
Tumaco: Jasmine, Chocolate
Cabaña: Jasmine, Watermelon, Peach
Leon: Jasmine, strawberry, peach
Fundador: Jasmine, Melon, Sweet
Lino: Peach, red apple, jasmine
Coronado: Jasmine, Lemon, Sweet
Chinta: Peach, lemongrass, jasmine
Trapiche: Jasmine, Lemon, Strawberry
Colga: Sweet, light floral
Nido: (Unknown)
Diamond Mountain (Catuai): nuts, oranges

Looking at it this way, the main flavor is jasmine, which is Esmeralda Geisha 's signature flavor, but each flavor is said to have a slightly different flavor.
It's truly amazing that the batches are so well controlled that such subtle differences can be expressed.

To manage the production of such a small number of micro-lots, it is necessary to drastically reconsider the conventional production process. However, Esmeralda Farm has been working on lot separation since it first began cultivating Geisha , and its long experience has made it possible to manage the production with such strictness.

In this way, not only is the coffee high quality and rich in flavor, but the fact that Esmeralda Farm ensures traceability through thorough management and makes detailed information available to the public makes the coffee special.

 

 

CROWD ROASTER is currently offering a lineup of bottled coffee beans that allow you to enjoy carefully selected Esmeralda Geisha beans, roasted with great care.

We obtain our private collection and special lots of Esmeralda Special through direct contact with the Esmeralda farm, and the beans are roasted by top roasters in Japan.

This coffee, which embodies the charm of Esmeralda Geisha , is available at our online shop and BARNEYS CAFE BY CROWD ROASTER .

The current lineup on the online shop is here.

・Esmeralda Special Natural (Durazuno)

Panama La Esmeralda Special Geisha Natural DURAZNO 5SN 2SW 200g

・Private Collection Natural (Caña Verde)

La Esmeralda Private Collection Geisha Cañas Verdes Natural