- New
FREE EU SHIPPING ON 4 BAGS
Panama
Hacienda La Esmeralda, Geisha Montana
100g
Cup Notes: Jasmine, Bergamot, Blackberry, Peach, Lime
A slow-dried Geisha from the Montaña lot at Esmeralda’s Cañas Verdes farm.
Delicate florals, layered fruit, and a clean, sugarcane-like sweetness.
Refined, structured, quietly complex.
Suggested for espresso and filter
when we roast
We freshly roast to order all coffees on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (excluding national holidays), and ship the same day! Cut-off time is 11:59pm (UTC+1) of the day before the roast day. *We only ship whole beans*
Details
- Series
- Premium Rarities
- Producer
- Peterson Family
- Country
- Panama
- Terroir
- Cañas Verdes, Boquete
- Altitude
- 1690-1800 masl
- Process
- Classic Natural - Raised Beds
- Arabica cultivar
- Geisha
- Picked in
- February 2024
- Arrived in
- September 2024
- Shipped in
- Box + Vacuum pack
- Roast profile by
- Rubens Gardelli
- Roasted on
- Customised solid-drum roaster
Suggested brewing recipe
To help you make the best out of your coffee, Rubens has crafted recipes for brewing this particular lot in filter.
There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think V60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.
Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.
Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.
There are two recipes: one for conical brewer (think V60) and one for flat-bottom brewer (think Kalita), however you can surely brew our coffees with any other brewing device, such as immersion brewers.
Please remember that these recipes are intended as starting points and may require further adjustments if the equipment you use is not identical to the one in the recipe; the characteristics of water used can also make a big difference in brewing.
Finally, the recipes suited specifically to Rubens’ roasting style, hence we do not guarantee that they will work as a universal reference.
Have fun brewing!
V60 STYLE
- Coffee:
- 17g
- Grind:
- Comandante 16 clicks (medium)
- Water:
- 250g (40 tds) at 90°C
- Filter model:
- Cafec Abaca+
- Time:
- 3:00
- Brew strenght:
- 1,59 tds
FLATBED
- Coffee:
- 17g
- Grind:
- Comandante 15 clicks (medium)
- Water:
- 250g (40 tds) at 90°C
- Filter model:
- Stagg [X], Fellow
- Time:
- 2:50
- Brew strenght:
- 1,60 tds
STORY BEHIND
Hacienda La Esmeralda is widely regarded as the epicentre of the Geisha variety’s modern rediscovery—igniting the global fascination that the specialty coffee world continues to hold for it. The estate's story began in the 1940s, but it was in 2004 that a pivotal moment changed the course of coffee history: the Peterson family made the then-unusual decision to separate lots by location throughout processing. This allowed them to isolate and showcase the remarkable cup profile of the Geisha variety—its juicy acidity and complex, floral aromatics—which stunned judges at the Best of Panama competition, earning top honours and setting a world auction price record.
Since then, Hacienda La Esmeralda has become a byword for precision and innovation. The team meticulously divides lots as they are picked, targeting specific clusters of trees to craft distinct microlots for the most quality-driven buyers. Thanks to the high premiums earned at auction, the farm is also able to pay its harvesters three times the typical wage, ensuring both ethical working conditions and meticulous cherry selection. From the cool, dry slopes of Cañas Verdes—where several award-winning lots have been produced—to the pioneering El Velo experimental garden, the Peterson family continues to push the boundaries of excellence, sustainability, and integrity in every aspect of their work.
THE VARIETY
Geisha is among the most sought-after coffee varieties in the world—rare, delicate, and often commanding record-breaking prices. While most commonly associated with Panama, its origins trace back to the wild coffee forests of Ethiopia.
Discovered in the 1930s near the town of Geisha in Western Ethiopia, the variety was collected by researchers during a botanical expedition in 1931—hence the name Geisha 1931. With its tall stature and elegant, elongated leaves, the plant stood out early on. But it wasn’t until decades later, when it was brought to Central America for its resistance to coffee leaf rust, that its potential in the cup began to emerge.
It was only in the early 2000s, when grown at high altitudes in Panama and processed with care, that Geisha revealed its extraordinary qualities: vivid florals, crisp acidity, and remarkable clarity. The discovery sparked a global search to trace the variety back to its Ethiopian roots—an origin pilgrimage that led buyers and producers deep into the forests where coffee still grows wild.
Geisha remains a variety that, in the right conditions, transcends expectations—offering a sensory experience unlike any other in coffee.
THE FERMENTATION PROCESS
Montaña 4 NC was harvested on February 8, 2024, from the Montaña plot at Hacienda La Esmeralda’s Cañas Verdes farm. After picking, the cherries were slow-dried for 62 days in a temperature- and humidity-controlled room, resting on raised beds.
This patient, controlled drying reveals an intensely aromatic cup—layered with jasmine and bergamot, ripe blackberry and peach, bright lime, and the delicate sweetness of sugarcane juice.
