From the coffee competition stage to the once-a-year release that your favourite local roastery shares with you, as a specialty coffee consumer you’ve probably come across this word: geisha. Often spoken about with reverence, as if the word holds a weight of its own and doesn’t require an explanation. But, of course, it does! In specialty coffee circles it really gets people excited and good luck to anyone trying to stop them from talking about it. From the innovative processing, to the producer stories, to the flavours, coffee geeks pore over every detail of this varietal (and probably at the speed of a 5-year-old telling you about his newest tractor toy). Coffee people tend to get a bit carried away if they've had the opportunity to taste and share one, but if you're in the very large majority asking, “So, what is geisha?”, then you're in the right place!
Geisha is a coffee varietal within the Arabica species. Like Red Bourbon or SL28, geisha is a varietal under the Arabica coffee species with its own nuances and characteristics.
It became the darling of the coffee competition world and it won't be giving up that mantle anytime soon. Other varietal may be interesting, but not many would argue that geisha is something in a league of its own.
FLAVOURS
Why is geisha so sought after? Geisha is known for its delicate and complex flavour profile. This is what has intrigued coffee consumers since its discovery in Ethiopia more than 100 years ago. Flavours reminiscent of florals, teas and fruit have captured the imaginations of producers, roasters, baristas and consumers.
PRICE
The question that often follows “what is geisha?” is “ “why is it so expensive?”. Geisha trees are difficult to grow well, and even more difficult to yield a significant volume of coffee from. They are notoriously fussy about their growing conditions and require an immense amount of expert attention from farmers. The low-yielding nature of the crop makes it difficult to supply to the market on mass, farmers are required to be highly skilled to produce geisha well which adds more cost to its production and in many cases it takes world-class processing facilities to produce geisha well.
On Alejo Castro’s farm, Volcan Azul in Costa Rica, he is utilizing the part of the farm on the slopes of the Poas Volcano to grow his geisha. Geisha requires volcanic soil, high altitude, partial shade, consistent watering and moderate temperatures to thrive, and this is where Alejo has found these conditions on his farm. In order to get to this steep part of the farm, you need to use a 4x4 vehicle. Alejo has had to selectively remove some trees from the hillside in order to make some space for the geisha trees but leave enough to provide the crop with partial shade. Additionally, most geisha plants will only produce their first coffee cherries in their 4th year after being planted [World Coffee Reasearch]. Producing geisha at an impactful level is an expensive exercise that requires skill and time.
ETHIOPIA
Geisha was first discovered by the West in the early 1930s in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. In the small town of Gesha, the varietal was first discovered and it is where one of the most famous geisha producers is today, Gesha Village Coffee Estate.
PANAMA
In the early 2000s, the geisha varietal exploded into the spotlight after Panamanian producers (namely the Peterson family of Hacienda la Esmeralda) began producing this coffee at such a high level. Their approach to the geisha variety inspired those around them as they went on to win Best of Panama in 2004. Their beans fetched record-breaking prices as it captured the attention of those on the world coffee competition stages [Hayman Coffee Blog]. Since then, high quality geishas are being produced in Africa (notably still in Ethiopia) as well as in Central America (Colombia, Guatemala and Ecuador are a few). Each producer putting their signature on the varietal and allowing their terroir to express its version of this beautiful varietal (given that it is not co-fermented).
GEISHA OR GESHA?
There has been an ongoing debate about whether the varietal should be called “geisha” or “gesha” after its origin town in Ethiopia. Many producers have gone on to change the name of their crop to “gesha” instead of “geisha” in support of the movement to reconnect this varietal with its African roots.
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