The Gesha variety with a unique flavor profile is available at the Espresso Bar only for one day. Here is what you need to know before indulging in a truly unique coffee experience.
You may be a coffee aficionado, walking up with its flavors and going to bed longing for your favourite coffee taste the next morning. You may have tried different types of coffees, varieties, from different countries of origin; but if you haven’t yet tried Gesha coffee, it is time to reconsider everything you knew about coffee, simply because there is no other coffee like Gesha.
From the very first moment, the aromatic experience of Gesha drifts you away, to discover its depth and its flavor complexity that combines the delicacy of flowers with the intense character of tropical fruits. Do you get the picture? Or rather, do you get the taste?
WHERE DID WE GET IT FROM?
Although Panama is considered the birthplace of this variety, it actually comes from the Gori Gesha forest in southwestern Ethiopia (where its name comes from) and was discovered through missions of the British colonial empire in the 1930s (thank God for that!)
This variety was then transported to research stations in Kenya and Tanzania, to be exported to Costa Rica in 1953, where at the Center for Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) it was discovered that this variety was resistant to a disease of coffee trees, known as leaf rust.
For this very reason, Gesha was taken to Panama by Don Pachi Serracin, in the hope of cultivating it there but unfortunately the low altitude of the crops meant the desired results were not met. In 2004, the Petersons family from the Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee estate decided to take a risk by participating in the Best Of Panama competition and Gesha gained the recognition it deserved, where it commanded a tariff of 20.10$ per pound, a record amount for that time!
And that was it! This new unique variety had taken the coffee industry by storm and has since broken many price records in auction. During an auction in 2018, it was priced 1772 $ per kilo, which corresponds to 200 $ per cup of coffee! Do tell, aren’t you dying to try Gesha?
SO, WHY PANAMA?
The soil (terroir) where a variety grows plays an important role and Panama has a volcanic subsoil – rich in potassium and calcium – but also a unique microclimate, due to the winds from the northern Caribbean and the South Pacific, which cross at the same place. If you think about the high altitude that Gesha needs to yield the best results (significant temperature changes are good for the coffee fruit) then it is no surprise that Panama is an ideal location for growing this variety.
Besides, this is where Ninety Plus estates are located, being a constant choice of those who compete and wish to gain distinction. Thanks to their innovative processing and to their complex taste profile, Ninety Plus coffee varieties have won the global coffee filter competition 5 times in the past 6 years. Ninety Plus was my first choice in every competition. With the coffee of this estate, I won the Panhellenic Competition 3 times (in 2016, 2017 and 2018) and in the respective world championships I won third place twice (2017 in Budapest, 2018 in Belo Horizonte, Brasil).
But the biggest prize of Gesha, originating from Ninety Plus Estates, is the taste experience that you get from the first sip! And this sensation cannot be measured by any competition.
IS THIS SPELLES GESHA OR GEISHA?
The correct spelling of the name is another mystery that defines this variety. It is normally pronounced and written without the “i”, after it took its name from the forest of the same name in southwestern Ethiopia. Perhaps the first researchers preferred the word Geisha because it was more familiar to them. (consider that there is still no direct translation of the local Kafa language into English). But all this is just speculation. On the other hand, when we talk about this coffee, what matters is not its spelling but rather its taste.
YOU ARE DRIVING US CRAZY!
Gesha coffee from the Ninety Plus Estates is available at Coffee Island Espresso Bars only for one day. On the 1st October 2021, we celebrate World Coffee day, as deserved, with the one and only official guest that will reveal to us its unique features, making for an unforgettable day!
The processing method of this coffee/variety is anaerobic. It has a score of over 90 points on the rating scale. It has received a rating of 7, i.e. the highest possible score (7). As for its taste profile, it possesses notes of apricot, bittersweet chocolate, grapefruit, mango and pomegranate.
Straight from the highlands of Panama, you should not miss this gastronomic experience for coffee lovers.
STATHIS KOREMTAS
Greece Brewer’s Cup Champion (2016, 2017, 2018).
2nd runner-up World Brewer’s Cup Champion (2017, 2018).
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