Panama Elida Geisha Plano - Washed

About Panama Elida Geisha Plano - Washed

Offered for the first time in February 2023, this coffee arrived at our facility in October, 2022 vacuum boxed and shipped to us via airfreight. We offered coffee from this same plot last season and we are separately offering a Natural Geisha from another plot on the Elida property.  Both of these coffees were selected at in-person cuppings at Elida at the beginning of the season. Washed Geisha, when in top form, is the purist expression of the variety, about to exude lovely jasmine and fruit flavors without the additional layers of processing flavor. This is one of the top Geisha coffees in the world. Quantity is very limited. Both processes are the same price.The price is higher than last year as demand for top geisha coffees from now famous farms command eye opening price tags. We fortunately have longstanding relationships with all of the top coffee producers in Panama, many having become friends over the years.

This is Panama Elida Estate Green Tip Geisha in a washed process. Elida Estate has broken price records in multiple private auctions, for both their washed and natural processed Geisha coffees. This year the Lamastus family won the coveted Panama Cup at the Best of Panama 2022 competition.  It is awarded for the most overall points in the competition, as their coffee attained awards in multiple categories.  They are continually in the top tier of coffee excellence and represent one of the most notable coffee producers in the world today.

This coffee was grown on Elida's Plano plot of land. Plano sits between 1,675 and 1,725 meters on a flat (plano) or plateau of semi shaded land located around the Elida coffee mill. Wilford Lamastus and family have made artistry with their intimate knowledge of Geisha growing, processing and evaluating various lots from his family farm. There are two known sub-types of Geisha, green tip and bronze tip, so named for the appearance of the plant's leaves. The green tip variety - being offered here - is turning out to be a stunner from this world class farm. The Lamastus family are also great innovators.  While visiting there in August, as a judge in the 2022 Best of Panama competition, I observed their newly constructed mill and an innovation called a Reactor Fermenter (RF) that is used to manipulate and deepen flavors for selected natural processed coffees.

Elida Geisha Washed and Natural took 1st place in both 2018 and 2019 Best of Panama competitions in both of the coveted Geisha categories, Washed and Natural. This was an incredible accomplishment when one considers how many producers submit coffee into the competition and the grueling blind judging procedure that goes on for many days.  Each submitted coffees, sometimes hundreds of them, must pass through a national jury.  The reduced selection then goes through days of evaluation with an international jury of coffee experts from around the globe.  To take first place in two successive years, in the two Geisha categories - washed and natural - is not likely to be repeated any time soon.  Elida is also the same farm that gave the world its $1,029 per pound coffee in 2019.  This year the internet auction of their coffee that was held on September 6 and 7.  The results were extraordinary with the top lot - only 7 pounds - selling for over $6.000 a pound! Twenty four other unique lots in the auction had an average price in excess of $300 a pound with those lots being up to about 150 pounds. While still expensive at our current selling price, by any standard, this is an awesome coffee, displaying power and finesse, fruit intensity and floral elegance, all at once. We were able to secure a small allocation through our longstanding Direct Trade relationship and friendship with the Lamastus family. This 2022 crop follows in the same quality tradition as its illustrious forebears.

• Green Tip - There are two known variations of the Geisha varietal, green tip and bronze tip based on the color of the plant's leaves. Green tip flavors accentuate floral notes and have brighter acidity. Bronze tip are smooth and creamy, showing less floral and a little more fruit. In competition the trend has been for the Green Tip to steal the show, time after time.
• Washed - The skin of ripe, freshly harvested coffee cherries are removed and the remaining fruit is fermented until the mucilage can be washed away.  Once completely washed clean of its fruit pulp, the coffee beans or seeds, encased in the parchment husks, are dried on raised tables or on patios.
  
• Plano - The plane or leveled off piece of land adjacent to their new mill.  It's steep to get get there and steep immediately after.  While you have a brief respite on this small piece of flat land, Elida property is a trek.

Wilford Lamastus Sr and Jr

Reactor Fermenter

The Lamastus' latest innovation is the product of their ever increasing knowledge of post harvest processing, the "RF" or Reactor Fermenter.  Their completely ripe geisha coffee cherries are anaerobically fermented in the proprietary Reactor Fermenter (RF), which is a sealed Stainless-Steel, constantly rotating tank, which evenly distributes the cherry's must over the fruit within.  CO2 is further introduced twice per day. The fruit inside the RF release their own concentrated liquid or coffee fruit juices, known in wine as must. This liquid is full of the flavors of the variety, the terroir where the plants are located,of natural yeasts, natural microorganisms, natural bacterias, and in concentration, just like when you take a grape and separate theconcentrated liquid from the seed and the juices are later used.The code they use, for example RF7D means that the cherries spent 7 days in the tank fermenting.  Afterward the cherries are dried on raised beds under the sun.  By using this device the producers can control, through completely natural processes, the fruit intensity that will contribute to the coffee's final taste.  Their coffees have been featured by numerous barista champions in competitions around the world and some of this most recent technologic enhancements have resulted from champions' input.  The Lamastus family continually pushes the envelope for what the highest levels of coffee quality and flavor.  

The latest Lamastus innovtion, the Reactor Fermenter
(not used in the washed process of this coffee preparation)

Wilford Lamastus Sr in their Geisha Room

Wilford Lamastus Sr and Barry (Roastmasters)

Cup Charasteristics: Deeply floral and heady aromas and flavors of jasmine, hyacinth, plumeria and lavender.  Nutmeg, honey and tons of lemon and lime. Very big tropical fruit flavors of papaya, pineapple, guava plus vanilla. Smooth with milk chocolates tones.  Washed Geisha is a more pure expression of the varietal as the native flavors come through more clearly, especially when from a masterful producer like Elida.

Roasting Notes: Geisha coffees need to be roasted on the light side in order to preserve their floral nature. Roast them too much and it will dissipate and much that you paid for will be lost. Let the coffee get fully past first crack, but if your roaster allows it, kick the heat down to nearly zero once first crack gets going and allow the coffee to slowly develop. You don't want to take this too close to second crack.