Panama - Hacienda Esmeralda - El Velo, Porton Lot 2BANC Geisha

This exceptional Geisha coffee hails from the Porton Lot of El Velo, one of the newest farms in the Peterson family’s prestigious Hacienda La Esmeralda (HLE) portfolio. Acquired in 2012, El Velo spans 50 hectares of pristine, high-altitude terrain in Boquete, Panama, with elevations ranging from 1,700 to 1,950 masl. It also borders a protected nature reserve that extends up to 2,900 masl, home to the famed Quetzal and other rare wildlife. The Porton Lot, located on the farm’s eastern flank at 1,800 masl, is planted with Geisha 1931, a lineage directly sourced from Bench Maji, Ethiopia—the birthplace of Geisha. Unlike the more widespread Geisha 2722 from CATIE in Costa Rica, the 1931 accession is closely related to the trees cultivated at Geisha Village, known for its intense floral and fruit-driven cup profiles. The trees in this lot average 7 years in age, and the area is divided into multiple microlots for precision harvesting. This "2BANC" microlot is processed using anaerobic fermentation and a low-temperature drying protocol. Freshly harvested cherries are sealed inside stainless steel tanks, where oxygen is purged to create a completely anaerobic environment. Native microbes ferment the sugars in the cherries over a controlled 48 to 96-hour period. After fermentation, the coffee is dried on raised African beds at low temperatures for at least 29 days. Before export, the beans rest for 45 days to stabilize and develop complexity.