Panama Esmeralda Private Collection Geisha Natural

Almost gone!

Always a customer favorite, this new 2024 crop arrived (July 2024) by airfreight directly from the farm in vacuum sealed boxes. We were not able to secure any of Esmeralda's Private Reserve Natural in 2023, so it's great to have it back and this time from their Jaramillo property.

Hacienda Esmeralda put Panama on the high end coffee map about 20 years ago with the "discovery" of the Geisha coffee variety and to this day, coffee from their farm command some of the highest prices in the world.  We have another coffee from them to be offered later in the season that is considerably more expensive and in extremely small supply.  For now, their more affordable Private Reserve Geisha in a washed - or more traditional wet process - is available today.

While we recognize it is still quite expensive compared to most coffee, Panama Esmeralda Private Reserve Geisha represents a great bargain in one of the world's most expensive and sought after coffees - Esmeralda Special - which is sold only through a privately held international auction for professional roasters. Each year for the past several years, Hacienda Esmeralda has held a private auction of their prized Geisha varietal, each Esmeralda Special lot coming from a specific plot of land on their farm. Altogether there is not much coffee, only about 20,000 pounds, which must fill a big demand from all corners of the world (this may sound like a lot but is only half of one shipping container). Competition for the coffee is fierce and prices go very high. By the time the coffee reaches roasters around the world it is not uncommon for it to sell for hundreds of dollars per pound.

Fortunately, for the recent past years, Esmeralda has released their "second coffee", the 100% Panama Esmeralda Private Reserve Geisha. As in the wine world where the second wine of the very top chateaux are fabulous wines in their own right, still costly but a relative bargain. Lafite-Rothschild has its Lafite Rothschild Carruades de Lafite; Chateau Latour its Les Forts de Latour. These wines would be great in anyone's book, but they are withheld, often for a tiny detail, from being in the rarefied top lot. The same holds true for Esmeralda Private Reserve Geisha. This is a wonderful coffee, exhibiting much of the same lovely jasmine, floral and lemony tones witnessed in the auction lots but at less than the price.

There is only a very limited supply of this coffee too. It comes from three growing plots on the Hacienda Esmeralda farm which range in altitude from 1450 to 1800 meters (4750 to 5910 feet).  The plot we have selected this year is their Jaramillo lot, which is often where their top and winning lots come from.  At this price, Panama Esmeralda Private Reserve Geisha may not casually seem a bargain, but it is considerably less than half the price of its sibling and almost the same taste experience. We really feel that the Geisha varietal is well represented in this coffee and that you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Naturally, every detail of growing and processing has been done at the farm to produce this fine, washed coffee. The finished green beans arrived at our warehouse in vacuum packaging ready for us to take it the rest of the way in roasting it for you.

• Farm:  Hacienda La Esmeralda
• Producer: The Peterson Family
• Country:  Panama
• Province:  Chiriqui
• City: Boquete
• Region: Jaramillo
  
• Altitude:  1600 - 1700 meters
• Variety:  Geisha
• Processing:  Classic Natural
• Drying: Raised beds and gardiola
  

Cup Characteristics: Fruity and sweetly floral. Layered flavors of jasmine and hibiscus. Flavors of orange, cherry, dried figs, prune.  Natural processing was carefully done, making for mild fruit penetration. The result is a very sweet, balanced, elegant coffee that is both powerful and delicate all at once.