Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Janson Geisha Natural Lot 926 Images

Arrived mid-July 2025, in vacuum packed boxes, air shipped directly from the producer, a Direct Trade coffee. Green tip Geisha Natural lot # 926. Barry visited the Janson farm at the very end of May where he had a cupping hosted Jannette Janson. There were several tables of Geisha in various preparations. Overall the quality was very good and we wound up buying our two favorites, one Geisha Washed and this Geisha Natural. We bought the entirety of this particular lot so it is exclusive to us. We have only about 60 pounds up for grabs.

Due to the price category, this coffee is offered in 8 ounce, 12 ounce and 1 pound sizes. The new import tariff added 10 percent to our cost.

While we were familiar with Janson coffee for years, this was our third annual visit to the farm. On a previous trip we were taken for a spin around the beautifully kept property by Michael Janson and got to see coffees trees that were exceedingly healthy looking. There are two adjacent properties where Janson produces coffee, one called Hacienda and the other Los Alpes. Both of the coffees we bought were from the higher Los Alpes property. Our visit was in advance of the 2025 Best of Panama. Janson Geisha coffees are always in the top tier of competition in this event.

This lot had enhanced traditional Natural processing, with cherries spending 48 hours in a tank followed by 19 days of sun-drying both on patio and raised beds.

The two principal coffee centers in the Panama Highlands are Boquete and Volcan. They are each on a different facing of the Baru Volcano which is the focal point of the landscape and which provides rich soils and micro-climates ideal for growing coffee - especially Geisha coffee. The Janson Family farm is in Volcan, the area closest to the border with Costa Rica. In addition to Janson, other notable coffee farms close by are Fincas Auromar, Hartmann and Bambito, to name but a few. Janson has been producing coffee since 1990 though the farm's origin dates back to 1926 when their Swedish ancestors settled here and began to work a dairy farm. With a nod to their Swedish heritage, the highest coffee growing parts of the farm are the "Alpes" area, where this Geisha is planted. We work mostly with second generation Kai Janson, who we have known for many years. Kai lives part of the year in Panama and part in the US. But Panama is where he is now spending more and more time helping to develop new flavors from the various cultivars grown on the family farm.

Janson always had solid, reliably good coffee. In the most recent decade they began growing more varieties and have garnered a bunch of awards, mostly for their Pacamara and their delightful Geisha. They have also been experimental with processing, now offering a range of flavor profiles from mild and balanced, to deeply intense naturals with many traits in between. Balancing natural processing with Geisha's native floral and fruit flavors takes skill. Too much processing and the coffee's inherent flavors get lost, but just the right amount and how deftly it's done, can enhance those very same flavors and make them pop. That is the case with this coffee.

Janson Awards:

    2023 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place
    2023 Geisha Washed - 5th Place
    2020 Pacamara Natural - 1st Place
    2019 Geisha Natural - 2nd Place
    2018 Geisha Natural - 7th Place
    2018 Geisha Washed - 3rd Place
    2016 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place
    2016 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place

In addition to the above awards, the Brewer's Cup competition is held in multiple countries before a final in Australia. The first place winners of the Brewer's Cup in France was using Janson Geisha; in the UK both the first and second place winners offered Janson Geisha.

Small Geisha trees in the nursery

Michael Janson showing off one of the prized Geisha trees

Geisha is a seed variety native to Ethiopia and probably a relative of the Longberry, with a somewhat large and elongated shape. This seed was experimentally planted in Boquete Panama along with many other varieties as a test of what might grow well in this particular micro climate. The result was the birth of a superstar in the world of coffee. Originally planted and brought to celebrity by the Peterson family of Hacienda Esmeralda, this variety started to break price records and the reputation and market for this coffee continues to grow.

Producer Name: Janson Coffee Farm
Coffee Name: Alpes lot 926
Crop Year: Harvest date: February 4, 2025
Variety: Green Tip Geisha
Process: Natural, with semi anaerobic with 48 hours fermentation
Drying method: Dried on patio and raised beds for 19 days
Elevation: 1,700 meters
Growing Region: Tizingal, Panama Highlands

Jannette Janson

The final quality step is hand sorting to remove any less than perfect beans.

We encourage you not add dairy to this coffee and drink it black.

Limited availability.