Geisha coffee

Ingredients

Coffee

• 30 gwashed Panamanian Gesha, grown 1,600–1,900 m on the volcanic slopes of Boquete or Volcan
• roasted light – a Agtron reading around 75–80, first crack finished and no second crack
• rested 7–14 days after roast

Water

• 500 mlfiltered water at 93–94°C (200–200°F)
• target mineral content 80–120 ppm total hardness with about 40 ppm alkalinity

Equipment

• conical pour-over dripper (V60 02) and paper filter
• gooseneck kettle
• scale accurate to 0.1 g
• timer
• preheated ceramic or glass cups

Directions

1. Understand what you are brewing: Gesha is an Ethiopian landrace variety taken to Panama in the 1960s as leaf-rust protection and largely ignored until Hacienda La Esmeralda separated a lot in 2004 and it won the Best of Panama. Grown high, in shade, on volcanic soil, it produces jasmine, bergamot and stone-fruit aromatics found in almost no other coffee.
2. At origin the cherries are picked at full ripeness, depulped within hours, fermented in tanks 18–36 hours, washed clean of mucilage and dried slowly on raised beds for 10–20 days. This washed processing is what lets the varietal floral character show unmasked.
3. Grind the beans immediately before brewing, medium-fine, around 700–800 microns – noticeably coarser than table salt.
4. Rinse the paper filter with hot water and preheat the dripper and cups, then discard the rinse water.
5. Add the grounds, level the bed and dig a small well in the centre. Start the timer and pour 60 g of water in a slow spiral to wet all the grounds; the bed will swell and release carbon dioxide. Bloom 40 seconds.
6. Pour in three further additions of about 145 g each at 0:40, 1:20 and 2:00, keeping the water level constant and pouring in gentle circles without hitting the paper wall.
7. Let the bed draw down; total brew time should be 3:00–3:30. A much slower draw means the grind is too fine and the cup will taste bitter and hollow.
8. Swirl the carafe, then let the coffee cool to about 60°C (140°F) before you judge it. Gesha shows its jasmine and bergamot as it cools, and drinking it scalding hides the whole point.
9. Serve black, in a small preheated cup. Milk and sugar obliterate the aromatics that make this among the most expensive coffee in the world.

Technique

• Roast level is decisive. Anything past a light-medium roast destroys the jasmine and bergamot esters, which is why Gesha is almost never sold dark and why a dark-roasted Gesha is money wasted.
• Panamanian Gesha is auctioned annually at Best of Panama and lots have exceeded 10,000 US dollars per kilogram. If a bag is cheap, it is either a lesser lot, blended, or not Gesha at all.
• Water chemistry matters more here than with any other coffee. Distilled water gives a flat, empty cup; hard tap water buries the florals under chalkiness.

Substitutions

• Cannot find Panamanian Gesha? Gesha grown in Colombia, Costa Rica or Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha forest shows a similar aromatic profile at a fraction of the price.
• No pour-over kit? Brew it in a cafetiere at 60 g per litre, steeped 4 minutes, broken and skimmed – less clarity, but it survives.
• A natural-processed Gesha is a legitimate alternative, heavier and fruitier, with less of the tea-like transparency.

Variations

• Natural-processed Gesha, dried whole in the cherry, giving mango and strawberry over the florals.
• Anaerobic or carbonic-maceration Gesha, fermented sealed, an increasingly common competition style.
• Gesha as espresso, pulled long and light at around 1:3, served in Boquete cafes.

History

Hacienda La Esmeralda entered a Geisha lot in the 2004 Best of Panama competition; the Ethiopian-descended variety has since broken world auction records.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geisha coffee?

Geisha coffee is a drink from Panama: delicate jasmine and bergamot coffee grown on Boquete’s volcanic slopes. Hacienda La Esmeralda entered a Geisha lot in the 2004 Best of Panama competition; the Ethiopian-descended variety has since broken world auction records.

How long does Geisha coffee take to make?

Geisha coffee takes 10 min of preparation and 4 min brew (plus washing, drying and resting at origin) of cooking. The recipe makes 2 cups (500 ml brewed). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Geisha coffee?

Yes, within limits. Cannot find Panamanian Gesha? Gesha grown in Colombia, Costa Rica or Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha forest shows a similar aromatic profile at a fraction of the price. No pour-over kit? Brew it in a cafetiere at 60 g per litre, steeped 4 minutes, broken and skimmed – less clarity, but it survives. A natural-processed Gesha is a legitimate alternative, heavier and fruitier, with less of the tea-like transparency.

What is the most important thing to get right in Geisha coffee?

Swirl the carafe, then let the coffee cool to about 60°C (140°F) before you judge it. Gesha shows its jasmine and bergamot as it cools, and drinking it scalding hides the whole point.