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 explain again why it is so famous.
We have introduced various aspects of Esmeralda Farm so far, but we would like to explain again why it is so famous.
Geisha from Esmeralda Farm is attracting attention from all over the world
Hacienda La Esmeralda, known as a farm that produces the world's best 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.
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.
The Esmeralda farm is owned by the Peterson Family.
Originally a pastureland, coffee began to be planted there in the late 1980s. In 1997, they purchased a new farm, Jaramillo, and expanded their coffee farm.
By chance, Geisha variety was planted on this land.
Realizing that Geisha had a special flavor, the Peterson family began cultivating and producing coffee in an unprecedented way.
Geisha produced in this way was submitted to the international auction, Best of Panama, in 2004. It won first place, being sold for $21 per pound, the highest price ever at the time.
Geisha variety, with its unique flavor characteristics, quickly became known around the world as a high-priced coffee.
From that year, Esmeralda Farm's Geisha won the Best of Panama for four consecutive years and continued to break its own record for the price. In the 2007 auction, it broke the previous record by a large margin, 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) 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 to spread the name of Esmeralda Farm and Geisha as special coffee.
Esmeralda Geisha has 3 ranks
Esmeralda Farm has three Geisha 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 who are offered at private auctions.
This award is given only to lots grown in the Jaramillo and Caña Verde plots, which are located at an altitude of 1,600 to 1,800 meters, and which receive a cupping rating of 90 points or higher.
Even at Esmeralda Farm, which has a wealth of experience cultivating Geisha , the cup quality varies depending on the climate, environment, and timing of production, and only a small proportion of Geisha can be called TOP OF TOP. After rigorous selection, only selected lots are given the name Esmeralda Special, which is said to be the world's best Geisha and a micro lot.
Like Esmeralda Special, Private Collection is a blend of lots grown in areas between 1,600m and 1,800m above sea level, and 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 Esmeralda's high-altitude Geisha , which has been rated 87 to 90 points.
" Geisha 1500" is Geisha grown in an area above 1,400 meters. Although it is not grown at high altitude for Esmeralda Farm, it has a refreshing flavor and is managed in the same way as the higher-end brands.
Each section of the farm is divided into small lots
Within the Esmeralda Estate there are three plantations that grow Geisha variety: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes and El Velo.
Jaramillo is the farm where the Peterson family, the owners of the farm, first discovered Geisha by chance. This farm, which is always shrouded in mist, has Geisha planted in plots at altitudes of 1,600 to 1,700 meters, and produces some of the most representative lots of Esmeralda Geisha .
Jaramillo is the farm where the Peterson family, the owners of the farm, first discovered Geisha by chance. This farm, which is always shrouded in mist, has Geisha planted in plots at altitudes of 1,600 to 1,700 meters, and produces some of the most representative lots of Esmeralda Geisha .
On the other hand, while Jaramillo has a maximum altitude of around 1,700m, Caña Verde is cultivated at an even higher altitude, around 2,000m, and the different microclimate from Jaramillo produces Geisha with different characteristics.
By the way, Caña Verde was included in the land when the Peterson family first acquired the Esmeralda Farm in the late 1960s. However, at that time the farm was used as pasture for beef cattle, and coffee cultivation did not begin in earnest until the 1990s.
El Bello is the newest farm in Esmeralda, 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 unique lots.
The trend toward more detailed "nano lots"
In fact, until the early 1990s, the idea of separating different varieties of Panamanian coffee did not even exist, and it was all shipped together to the general public.
In the 1990s, the Panama Specialty Coffee Association was founded and international competitions began to be held. This led some to start producing coffee by variety, but at Esmeralda Farm, more careful testing was carried out.
In the 1990s, the Panama Specialty Coffee Association was founded and international competitions began to be held. This led some to start producing coffee by variety, but at Esmeralda Farm, more careful testing was carried out.
Geisha discovered at the Jaramillo farm are planted in plots at higher altitudes, and from each plot on the farm, the cherries harvested are 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 purchased at the "Best of Panama" auction in 2004, for the highest price ever recorded at the time.
After this success, the farm further separated the 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. The size of a single lot has become smaller than before, and there has been a focus in recent years on nano-lot developments that bring out the individuality of each product.
There are differences between lots depending on the harvest date, and the timing of the harvest is determined based on the ripeness of the cherries and the weather conditions at the time.The subsequent process is adjusted depending on the condition of the cherries once harvested.
The flavours of Caña Verde by plot
The main farms 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 of them grow Geisha except for Diamond Mountain, which grows Catuai.
Each plot has a slightly different climate, temperature, sunshine and soil, which gives each plot a unique flavor. Each plot is several hectares in size, with the Montaña having a cultivation area of just 0.5 hectares.
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 (Katuai): nuts, oranges
Looking at it this way, the base 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 slight differences can be expressed.
To manage the production of such a small amount of Geisha, 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 their long experience has made it possible to manage the product with such strictness.
In this way, not only is the coffee high quality and rich flavor, but it is also the thorough management that ensures traceability and the commitment to making detailed information available to the public that makes Esmeralda Farm's coffee special.
