“Geisha coffee is just like that bold difference in a special wine that makes it stand out, with the coincidence that it is just a super pleasant taste! A symphony of flowers, citrus acidity and sweetness.” – Giorgio Bressani, Finca San Jeronimo Miramar, Guatemala
“A cup of Geisha can provide something as close as we’ve seen to perfection in coffee, a sensory rapture that is nothing short of inspirational.”
There are 3 main coffee plant species: Arabica, Robusta and Liberica.
Coffee plant species contain several different plant variations (varieties).
Geisha is a variety of the Arabica coffee plants.
Ancient Geisha trees grow wild in the highlands of southwestern Ethiopia near the village of Gesha. This coffee variety got its name from this mountain village. It is believed that it originated within the lush mountainous forests that are surrounding Gesha.
Geisha trees are elegant. Compared to other coffee plants, they are taller and more demanding. Geisha trees can also be distinguished by their large seeds, their beautiful and elongated leaves, the oval structure of their beans and the intensive floral scent of their blossoms.
Japanese fell so instantly in love with its ethereal qualities and mysterious aura–not unlike those a dancing Geisha possesses–the tree and resulting beverage were forever dubbed Geisha. Source: Madame Geisha, Rachel Northrop : here
History
Ever since the Geisha beans were discovered during the 1930s in Ethiopia, they started their journey to other coffee growing countries: Via Tanzania and Kenya they travelled to Central America. During the 1960s the first Geisha seeds were brought to Panama from Costa Rica.
In 2004, a Geisha varietal grown in Panama won the top prize at the Best of Panama (BOP) competition. The judges experienced feelings of wonder and amazement.
Never in my coffee career I had tasted such an otherworldly beautiful coffee; eventually I gave this exceptional Geisha a rating of 96 points. – Willem Boot
This competition introduced the by then still unknown Geisha coffee beans to the world. Since this day, Geisha coffees from Panama won numerous awards and fetch the highest coffee prices in the world.
Nowadays, Geisha coffees are cultivated in various countries such, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Colombia.
2017 Geisha seeds were also brought to Thailand.
A beautiful coffee plantation called ‘Gesha Village Estate’ had been established right at the origin soil of this this variety, within the remote highlands of southwestern Ethiopia. The goal of this project is to grow indigenous Geisha trees. Follow this link to read the inspirng story of passionate and brave coffee visioaries, who fell in love with this variety and who follow their dreams: here
