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Panama coffee was historicaly under-rated and overlooked. That perception has been corrected in recent years with the outstanding Best of Panama competition held each year, attracting global competition for the best lots, and spectacular prices. The Gesha cultivar produced in some of the small coffee estates has alos garnered heaps of attention for it's unique floral cup character. Panama coffees are brightly toned with vivid floral aroamtics and clean fruited notes. They outcup many higher priced coffees and the cup character is obvious, quality is consistent. Cheaper Panamas sold as BEP are a staple of higher-end commercial roasters and lower-end specialty roasters. There are many lower-grown Panamas that are ubiquitous in the U.S. market and of little interest to us here. It's just the Boquete coffees from the Chirqui district, ones from small family-owned farms that produce the truly distinct, unique coffees. They employ N'gbe Indians for the pciking season, who will come to the coffee farms to work under some of the best wage standards and work laws in Central America. For more information on Panama coffees, see our review of the 2002 Panama Cupping Competition. And also see my slide show of the 2003 cupping We have a page about the #1 2004 coffee, Jaramillo Especial, and a page about the 2004 Cupping. And ... boy this is getting to be quite a list ... the January 2006 crop visit to check our small lot coffee, and visit the Gesha trees at Hacienda La Esmeralda. Also see my April 2006 Best of Panama competition trip including pictures of the 1800+ meter Carmen Estate coffee. |
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| Panama Esmeralda Gesha Auction Lots 2008 | |||||||||||
| Country: | Panama | Grade: | SHB | Region: | Jaramillo, Boquete, Chirqui State | Mark: | Hacienda Esmeralda Gesha Auction Lot | ||||
| Processing: | Wet-Process | Crop: | Late July/August 2008 | Appearance: | 0 to .4 d/300gr, 17-19+ Screen | Varietal: | Gesha Cultivar (longberry, Ethiopia-related), also (incorrectly) spelled Geisha | ||||
Notes: This
year, the reknowned farm Hacienda Esmeralda in Panama decided to hold
an auction for separated lots of their Esmeralda Especial Gesha coffee.
This was a mixed blessing: on the one hand this careful separation
of Gesha lots by location or plot on the farm, and by harvest date,
meant that we could compare and chose based on cup quality. Indeed
we found there was a huge range in qualities among the different elevations.
On the down side, the competition would drive the best lots to extreme
prices. I took this tact: all the Gesha from Esmeralda is exceptional
coffee. I wanted to represent the varies tiers of cup quality, so our
home roasters could chose a price level that made sense to them. Instead
of the $18 price from last year that we paid for standard pooled Esmeralda
Gesha, we found an exceptional lot that comes in slightly less, a budget
lot at around $10, a fantastic Special Reserve lot of peaberry and
... drum roll ... the top lot in the auction which we offer at a whopping
$125 per pound! Each of these have a distinct cup, described below,
but all are unmistakenly Gesha. Gesha (often spelled, wishfully, as
Geisha, but this is not correct) is a cultivar with stong Ethiopian
roots. It's rare that a coffee varietal announces itself so clearly
in the cup flavors as the Gesha cultivar does in Panamanian coffee.
It's extremely floral in the aromatics, with loads of tropical fruit.
It is light bodied and delicate on one hand, yet extremely flavorful
and long-lasting on the palate. There is no other coffee quite like
it. And other farms that have cultivated Gesha don't attain the cup
quality of the best Esmeralda Gesha. We have bought this coffee in
auction, and farm direct for years. In fact, last year we paid $130/Lb
for it at auction! I have awarded it top scores when I was on the judging
panel at Best of Panama competition for several years straight. An
odd judging issue with this coffee; The Esmeralda Gesha makes blind
cupping almost senseless, since I can identify its amazing fragrance,
aroma and cup flavors immediately when I come upon it in a "blind" cupping!
It is that dry fragrance that lets you know right away what is coming
when the water hits the cup: incredible sweet floral, citrus blossom,
sweet honey perfume atomized into the air. In terms of intensity,
fruited and floral aspects, wet-processed Ethiopians and Kenyas are
more in league with Gesha than any other Central American coffee. But
it is difficult to price this sort of cup character. And when it is
as exotic ...no, extraterrestial ... as the Esmeralda Gesha, it is
even more hard to quantify. In tasting the Gesha coffees, the cup flavors
might seem less intense than the extreme aromatics. As the cup cools,
perceived intensity and brightness will increase exponentially. |
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Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity overall, but intense aromatics / Floral and fruited aromas, medium-to-light-body, delicate, yet intense on the palate. General Esmeralda Gesha Roast: Pungent roast flavors of 2nd crack do harm to what this coffee is really about. This is a "2nd Crack is Taboo" coffee. Try to get it to a City or City+. Full City still has great aromtic complexity and perhaps more balance and body. FC+ is where roast flavors start to eclipse the origin flavors, the floral and fruited notes. It is a large bean, you might need to cut back on the batch size a little. It has a patchy surface color after roasting, don't worry about it. Just grind, brew and enjoy! Refer to the images and comments on my Gesha Roast Pictures page Compare to: The most floral Ethiopia washed (wet-processed) coffees. It's a world class cup, deicate, refined. and the winner of too many competitions to even start to list them here. Gesha is great coffee, but don't be sold on it without being critical. It's a light bodied, bright, floral coffee, both clean and delicate. If you like dark roast Sumatras, and dislike wet processed Ethiopia or bright Kenyas, Esmeralda Gesha might not be your bag. |
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Please
note that the Lot Numbers don't indicate quality. Specifically, Lot 10 is
superior to Lot 5. The lot numbered 1 in the auction was not the top coffee
... in fact we panned it in our scoring! The lots 1-4 were considered Special
Reserve with higher starting bids. But I found Lot 10 to be better than 2
of the "Reserves". |
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Panama Esmeralda Gesha |
Lot 2 Notes: This was a Special Reserve lot in the auction, had the best cup, and received the highest price. We split this lot with Stumptown Coffee Roasters. This is from a plot described as "North of the Creek" which has yielded some of the best coffees in the past, and was harvested on just 2 days: 4-5 March. The dry fragrance has very refined floral qualities, citrus blossom, sweet lemon, jasmine. Gladly the wet aromatics are super dynamic, floral, and sweet, moreso that the lower priced lot 10, and exponentially more than lot 5. Only at the darkest level I tested, right at the verge of 2nd crack, is there noticeably less aroma; I don't recommend roasting that dark. Lot 2 was the highest price paid of any coffee in the Esmeralda Auction, and in fact was the highest price in any auction this year, Cup of Excellence or otherwise. It is brighter that lot 10, with guava and passionfruit brightness, and jasmine floral sweetness. It seems so perfume-like, a distillation of flowers, but with unique piquant fruited high notes. There is both lemon blossom and lime-like touches paired with tropical fruit essensces. For such a light bodied, effervescent, perfumey, almost etheral flavor profile, it has surprising "staying power" on the palate. Just 150 Lbs. in this lot! | Lot 2 Roast Tips: City to City+ roast is the range you want to hit here. If it tastes too thin on the initial brewing, allow further resting time, up to 72 hours after roasting, to allow for more balance. It has more potent aromatics after just 12 hours of rest though.Gesha Roast Pictures page Note: Your order for 1 Lb. of Lot 2 will be vacuum packed in 2 bags weighing 1/2 Lb each. This will allow you to save part or all of the coffee for an extended period, such as a future holiday. Like all greens, store in a cool dark place. Your order for 1 Lb of Lot 2 will also include a pound of Lot 5. This allows you to practice your roast, and also to compare the qualities of the two lots. |
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| Lot 2 Total Score : | 97.5 |
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Panama Esmeralda Gesha |
Lot 3 Notes: Lot 3 is another Special Reserve lot in the auction, the only peaberry lot offered, and the smallest lot offered in the auction. We split it with Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The fragrance has strong hoppy floral, sweet Meyer lemon. In the cup, it's the lot that was best as a slightly darker roast (and I do mean slight here, Full City, nowhere near 2nd crack). At this stage it has plenty of bright flavors (pink grapefruit, sweet lemon) and floral notes, but with a balanced body and long, clean aftertaste. While it doesn't have the absolute top notes of #2, it has perhaps more complexity and depth, a rounder mouthfeel. Those who might find #2 wonderful, but somewhat light in the body, might discover that the peaberry Lot 3 this as their top coffee of the set. And like lot 2, there are just 150 Lbs in this lot! | Lot 3 Roast Tips: As noted, at a roast level that was light relative to the other lots, this coffee had greater dimension and body. I would recommend City+ roast, but it worked well at FC too. Gesha Roast Pictures page Note: Your order for 1 Lb. of Lot 3 will be vacuum packed in 2 bags weighing 1/2 Lb each. This will allow you to save part or all of the coffee for an extended period, such as a future holiday. Like all greens, store in a cool dark place. Your order for 1 Lb of Lot 3 will also include a pound of Lot 5. This allows you to practice your roast, and also to compare the qualities of the two lots. |
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| Lot 3 Total Score : | 95.3 |
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Panama Esmeralda Gesha |
Lot 10 Notes: This was an outstanding lot that actually shares harvest characteristics with Lot 2: it is from late in the crop when the coffee cherry has matured on the trees for the longest amount of time. This also hints at higher elevation. It was harvested March 24th and 25th, in the area "North and South of the Creek". The dry fragrance is intensely floral, with jasmine and lemon blosson scents. The quality of the wet aroma reminds me of our Esmeralda of past years, and in fact lot 10 is in line price wise with our non-auction Gesha of last season. It's cleaner and sweeter than Lot 5, more dynamic, more floral, with jasmine and a bit of violet flowers. There is great sweetness in this coffee, nectar-like floral sweetness, honeysuckle. It is more floral and less rindy than lot 5, and finishes with a refined orange honey aftertaste. It doesn't hit the high notes quite like #2 or #3, but is clearly in a higher tier than #5. If I was unsure about my predispostion to this cup profile, had not roasted Gesha before, but didn't want to start at the lowest level (lot 5), I would opt for lot 10, absolutely. If it doesn't have that arcane quality that elevates it to 95 points, well heck, it's 92 point coffee and we don't fling around scores like that often around here!!! | Lot
10 Roast Tips:
This lot roasts well between City and
Full City. FC roast is going to be a bit diminished in the top end, highest
range of flavor, so City+ is recommended. It's an incredibly intoxicating
coffee, aromatically and in the sapid sensations, and changes ast it
rests (increased body and balance). See the above general notes too.
Gesha Roast Pictures page
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| Lot 10 Total Score : | 92.1 |
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Panama Esmeralda Gesha |
Lot 5 Notes: We call it the "cheap lot" but that is all relative, in relation to the #2 and #3 lots. It is from specific plots (Hoguera and Frente Poldo) harvested over 2 months, Jan-Feb. It is an early harvest, from early in the crop, and from a lower altitude than #2. Nonetheless, from the very first whiff of the dry fragrance, you know this is a Gesha coffee. There are lemon bright scents that call out the special cultivar. With the wet aroma, you can see in side by side comparison the with more expensive lot 10, and the incredibly expensive lot 2, that the floral Gesha qualities are more muted here. Still, there no mistaking the lemony bright aromatics. The cup flavors are citrusy, with passionfruit tropical flavors as well. The body is light, but suits the coffee well, and there is a mild sweet nut roast tone. This lot is less acidic and more "rindy" in the citrus qualities. Still, I find it very aromatic, sweet, and attractive! | Lot
5 Roast Tips: This coffee roasts well between City + and Full
City. If you were inclined to take this a little darker, it is certainly
the right lot to do it with given the price. But, like the other
lots, you will experience more muted citrus bright notes at FC+.
See the General Roast Notes too. Gesha Roast Pictures page |
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| Lot 5 Total Score : | 88.8 |
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| Panama Boquete Golden Peaberry • |
$5.35 |
$10.17 |
$23.27 |
$44.41 |
$82.39 |
| Panama Boquete Lerida Estate "Miel" • |
$5.90 |
$11.21 |
$25.67 |
$48.97 |
$90.86 |
| Panama Carmen Estate 1800+ Meters • |
$6.20 |
$11.78 |
$26.97 |
$51.46 |
$95.48 |
Tom's Sample Cupping Log | Moisture Content Readings This page is authored
by Thompson Owen and Sweet Maria's Coffee, Inc. and is not to be
copied or reproduced without permission
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