Panama Geisha La Berlina SHG Microlot – Roasted Coffee

Come try the best coffee in the world! This isn't some international corporate advertisement or the shouting of a street vendor – this is how travellers, lovers of nature's gifts, and connoisseurs of the world's small-scale coffee invite you to try it. It will become your new favorite coffee. Just taste it and succumb to its captivatingly colorful tones.

There are usually several stories behind each unique coffee. In the case of Panama Geisha, we can tell the story of its name and its long journey from seed to our cup. The Geisha coffee bush originates from Ethiopia, the Gesha region, to be exact. They were supposedly discovered in the forests there in the 1940s. It is a bit of a mystery how Costa Rican farmer Don Pachi got his hands on coffee beans from southwestern Ethiopia. In any case, it was he who brought them to Panama. However, it was not until the 1960s that local farmer Daniel Peterson discovered the potential in them and started a worldwide geisha boom. The fact that the name of coffee has become a bit of a misnomer is not to be taken lightly. Perhaps the geisha image helped the Panamanian delicacy rise to prominence a little.

The plantation from which we source the unique Panama Geisha coffee is located in Chiriqui province on the country's west coast. The first European to visit the area was Gaspar de Espinosa in 1519. The coffee bushes grow surrounded by Volcan Buru and La Amistad national parks. The 4th generation of the Ruiz family tends to them. All its members are well aware of the delicate coffee available to them. The quality of the soil, the high altitude, and the specific microclimate of the plantation determine its flavor. It is, of course, underlined by the way the coffee cherries are processed by washing and drying them by spreading the coffee beans out on sunny terraces.

The coffee plant itself is not only tall, but it also has unusually elongated leaves and long, slender beans. Roasting Geisha is, therefore a task for the best of the best. The coffee is very delicate and easily overheated. Geisha must be roasted lightly, requiring the roaster to have experience and a feel for the right moment. Geisha has won awards in many global competitions, such as Best of Panama, Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality, and Coffee of the Year. Although Geisha still thrives best on Panama's plantations, there are attempts to grow this unique coffee in Costa Rica, Colombia, and Ethiopia. Time will tell if its success can be replicated.