GESHA or GEISHA

Geisha is undoubtedly the most amazing and most appreciated variety of coffee. Its distinctive aroma and intense taste, together with the lingering aftertaste, have made it the most sought-after coffee in the world. 

There is a dispute in the coffee community as to whether this variety should be referred to as GEISHA or GESHA, or whether these are two different varieties.

It is generally believed that all Geisha plants spread from Ethiopia from the GESHA area, first to Costa Rica and later to Panama. 

The first mention of Geisha dates back to 1936 (according to dailycoffeenews). In a letter, the British consul tells his colleagues that he is sending them GEISHA coffee seeds. 

In his letter, he gives the coordinates of the place he refers to as the Geisha Coffee Area. Many refer to Geisha as a coffee that comes from the GESHA region. However, the Gesha region is relatively far (west) from the coordinates given in the letter. 

GESHA pronunciation is neither unequivocal gesha nor unambiguous geisha. It is therefore possible that historically the designation began to be written incorrectly. The merchants did not rush to correct it, as the name gave the coffee a certain amount of exoticism resulting from a comparison to a Japanese companion.

There was more talk about Geisha until 2004. An auction of coffee was held in Panama at that time. Prices in the maximum reached about 5 USD for half a kilo, when Geisha and Hacienda Esmeralda climbed to 21 USD for half a kilo. Since then, the prices of the Panamanian Geisha have been rising at a high rate of up to several thousand USD per half kilo. 

Geisha is also grown in countries other than Panama. For example, in Ethiopia (where it comes from), Colombia, Costa Rica, they are undoubtedly the best from Panama, which is due to the unique composition of the soil, climate and altitude.

You can taste from our roaster Geish by Allan Hartmann of Panama's Rocky Mountain Farm.