Panama Abu Geisha Lot GW-1214

Sold as 8, 12 or 16 ounces.  Very limited supply of delicious geisha from an excellent producer. Our Direct Trade relationship with the producer allows us to select specific lots from his farm.

This coffee arrived vacuum packed via airfreight some months ago and this is our first offering of Abu's Geisha Washed this season.  Abu Coffee Plantations has been a rising star in the stellar universe of Panama's high end coffee scene, the Geisha capital of the coffee world today. This means that Abu has not yet risen to the very lofty price levels that have been attained by some of the more noted names in Boquete and Volcan Panama, the two growing areas surrounding the Baru volcano: Hacienda Esmeralda, Elida Estate (world record price for both scores and price), Kotowa, Auromar and others. That said, the coffee is fairly valued by comparison, especially for the level of quality. The farm is run by Jose Luttrell, who has been until recent years, a working engineer who has turned his attention to the family farm and the lure of growing and selling Geisha, in particular. We met Jose a number of years ago, tried his coffee and were impressed by it. Being new on the scene, he met with some difficulties learning the ropes regarding export, all of which has since been resolved. In the interim, the coffee has only gotten better and we are pleased to be able to offer both washed and natural varieties this year.

Jose has undertaken a great deal of experimentation and this lot shows off an excellent outcome. This particular coffee underwent a complex process which Abu calls "Double Phase plus dry Geisha Cascara Maceration". That is a complicated way to say that the coffee cherries were soaked in Cascara from the prior season's Geisha coffee. For those who may never have tried it, Cascara is the dried out skin of coffee cherries.  When the skins are steeped in boiling water, a tea or tisane is created. In some cultures, the drink is prized and can be called other names.  Cascara from different varieties of coffee can have flavors that differ and show their parentage. After, a two step process begins with fermentation of whole cherries for 24 hours in open tanks.  This first step itself is unusual and fermentation usually is performed on pulped, aka de-skinned cherries. But in this case, the whole cherries leave their day of fermentation and then get pulped and then spend 72 hours in sealed tanks macerating in the must - juice - made from dry Geisha Cascara.  Once removed the cherries are hand washed in pure mountain spring water, then dried for 15 days on raised beds.

The flavors are really different, combining significant florals with the sweet, geisha "tea" flavors from the Cascara.

Abu Coffee grows the Geisha varietal in the region of Canas Verdes, Boquete, in a humid and rainy microclimate typical of the tropical forest. Coffee trees are grown on the slopes of the Baru Volcano National park in fertile, volcanic soil rich with organic content and excellent drainage, which minimizes erosion. Average altitude is 1550 meters above sea level. The shade protecting the plantation is given by native trees that grow in harmony with abundant local flora and fauna, respecting the environment and biodiversity. Given its strategic geographic location, sunlight is a key element throughout the whole process. The plantation receives powerful solar radiation, interrupted in the mornings and sunsets by a soft tropical mist known locally as Bajareque and caressed by thick fog.

Harvest season begins January most years and extends until March, months when the humidity drops, which combined with the natural shade and the Bajareque mist, achieves the perfect balance for the maturation process. As a result, the cherries develop fully and intensify the sugars in an optimal manner, enriching the flavor of the cup. The virgin rainforests protecting the farm help create a unique climate that gives the coffee a distinct body and personality, with intense, juicy flavor and aromatic floral notes.  We cupped this coffee in Panama, with Jose, in late May.

The farm is named in honor the memory of Jose's granfather and his dream of achieving what he considered the best in a cup of coffee, a geisha raised with the highest standards of quality. Abu is short for abuelo (grandfather in Spanish), the nickname his grandchildren used to call him.

• Region: Boquete, Canas Verdes
• Farm: Abu Coffee
• Variety: Geisha
• Elevation: 1,550 meters
• Shade: 60% by native species of trees
• Soil: Volcanic
• Slope: South of Baru Volcan
• Processing Method: Washed with 2 phase Cascara maceration
  
• Harvest Method: 100% handpicking
• Fermentation: 24 hours
• Drying Method: 15 days on raised African beds

Cup characteristics: Very sweet and lots of floral notes with pronounced jasmine, gardenia and additional puckery sensory aspects from Cascara maceration.  Black cherry shows here too.