Knowledge · plant
Geisha (Gesha)
Coffea arabica var. geisha
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Coffea arabica var. geisha
- Origin
- Ethiopia, collected around 1936
- Flavor profile
- Intensely floral, jasmine, bergamot, tropical fruit
- Notable achievement
- Best of Panama 2004, auction prices over $10,000/lb
- Growing characteristics
- Tall, delicate, low-yielding
- Disease resistance
- Moderate, some rust tolerance
- Beans we stock
- 117 Geisha (Gesha) coffees
Geisha (more accurately Gesha, after the Ethiopian area near which it was collected around 1936) was distributed through research stations in Costa Rica's CATIE and planted in Panama as a rust-tolerant curiosity. Its destiny changed in 2004 when Hacienda La Esmeralda entered it in the Best of Panama and judges were stunned by its jasmine-and-bergamot intensity; auction prices later surpassed US$10,000 per pound. Tall, delicate, and low-yielding, Geisha is now the world's most prestigious — and expensive — Arabica variety.
At a glance
- Scientific name: Coffea arabica var. geisha
- Identified: 1936
- Flavor: Intensely floral, jasmine, bergamot, tropical fruit.
- Aroma: Jasmine, bergamot, peach.
- Disease resistance: Moderate (some rust tolerance)
- Cup potential: Exceptional
Coffees demonstrating this
From our catalog of in-stock beans.
Panama · Natural
Boutet - Natural Gesha
Black & White Coffee Roasters · $14
Elegant Natural Geisha from Panama with floral, citrus, and stone fruit notes.
Colombia · Anaerobic Washed
Colombia El Jardin Gesha
Onyx Coffee Lab · $8
Champion producer's anaerobic washed Geisha from newly acquired Colombian farm.
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Honduras · Washed
Arturo Paz - Itacayo Gesha
Black & White Coffee Roasters · $28
Delicate washed Geisha from Honduras with floral, tropical, and tea-like characteristics.
See also