Panama Hacienda Le Esmeralda geisha (Espresso)

Panama Hacienda Le Esmeralda geisha (Espresso)

For those who know coffee this geisha doesn’t need further introduction! Just before I tell you about my espresso experience I would like to go into a little bit of history and processing behind this special bean.

This coffee has been out on the market since 2004 and every year since has won “The Best of Panama” competition. What makes this geisha crop so special? This coffee is grown in near perfect conditions it also gets a thorough treatment through processing and drying. They use a quick wash process and then sun dry the coffee on a concrete slab. You can read all about the history and detailed process on their website.

So, one may say putting this bean through an espresso machine is a crime, well it is! But if you have the opportunity to do so it is a very rewarding one also.

This coffee was Lightly Roasted roasted by Johan & Nystrom in Stockholm. So here is what the espresso tasted like:

On the smell this coffee was very fruity and floral with dried prune notes almost resemblant to Ethiopian Sidamo Beloya selection one coffee that I tried in Toronto not long ago, that batch was of similar light roast and was roasted by NOVO coffee. This is a very aromatic coffee and is a very striking standout!

Visually the coffee has a lightish crema that dissipated rather quickly, I didn’t expect it to hold from a single estate coffee.

First few sips were very fruity with sharp natural acidity, a very distinct tone of lemongrass and lemon zest mellowing into light sweetness, this coffee was very gripping right on the last drop. The last few sips were superb, imagine pealing a green grape and chewing on the skin – well that is exactly what the last drops are, I cant describe it any better than that!

The smooth overpowering acidic taste balanced with slight sweetness makes this espresso a very memorable one indeed. The fact that it stays with you for at least 20 minutes is a great sign of excellent cup.