Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Jaramillo Especial geisha (Plunger/French press)

Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Jaramillo Especial geisha (Plunger/French press)

Having tried Hacienda Le Esmeralda through a an espresso machine (read here) I now have my hands on something even more special, this particular coffee is grown in a region called Jaramillo which is ran by famous Finca Esmeralda and the Peterson family, this geisha is grown on high altitude in perfect conditions and is an award winning crop like no other in the world. This particular batch was roasted by David Haugaard with immaculate care! This is a light, 7 day roast.

I really wanted to get maximum out of this coffee so I have used a slightly finer grind approach. I have found that For many acidic coffees this approach is the best, as you get more natural acidity coming through into the cup. The dose is very vital also, you don’t want to use too much coffee as flavours will become overpowering. I used almost 3 full standard table spoons (15ml) of ground coffee per 350ml of water.

There was an interesting array of smells, as soon as you break the crust you smell a distinct chocolate note, however that note disappears in the cup completely. In the cup it is very floral with hints of cinnamon and spice, those smells dominate the cup as it cools.

On the palate you get a distinct lemongrass acidic note and green grape as the cup cools. The last drop of the plunger is the most intense part, a balance of sweetness and bright acidity makes it taste like lemon lollies. The best part of this coffee is the finish; it is slightly sweet, very crisp and clean!

I have spotted a very interesting smell profile after all the coffee was gone. The wet grounds (silt) in the plunger smelt exactly like freshly ground cedar wood led pencils; this really brought back childhood memories. The strange thing here was that there was absolutely no woody smell or taste in the coffee, both were fantastic through out the cup. So this cedar smell is not necessarily bad but yet another surprise.

This coffee is an art-form to say the least. The variety of flavours is a rich unpredictable bouquet. Through out the cup this coffee evolved into endless amounts of different smells and tastes, this is what makes this coffee what it is! No wonder it’s highly rated among best coffees in the world!