Hacienda La Esmeralda - Guabo 4 Natural Gesha - Panama

Whole Bean
Size: 3.5oz / 100g
Roast: Light
Recommended Rest: 4-6 weeks from roast date
Tasting Notes: plumcot, mandarin orange, raspberry, complex florals

Origin Details

Region: Quiel, Panama
Elevation: 1870m
Producer: The Peterson Family, Hacienda La Esmeralda
Process: Natural
Variety: Gesha

ABOUT THIS COFFEE AND PRODUCER

From Hacienda La Esmeralda:

The lands that make up Hacienda La Esmeralda were first brought together as a single estate by a Swede named Hans Elliot in 1940. This land comprised several hundred hectares in what are now the Palmira and Cañas Verdes farms. In 1967, a Swedish- American banker by the name of Rudolph A. Peterson (1904-2003) bought Hacienda La Esmeralda as a retirement venture. At the time, the land was predominantly pasture for beef cattle, with some small smatterings of coffee mixed in.

By 1975 the Petersons had switched the farms over to dairy cattle which performed quite well and continues to make up half of Esmeralda’s farm land today. In the mid- 80s, the family was looking to further diversify and coffee, with its rich production history in the Boquete region, was a perfect opportunity.

In 1997 the Petersons purchased the land that became the Jaramillo Farm. This plot on the sides of Volcan Baru was selected for its high altitude, in hopes of developing higher scoring, livelier and more nuanced coffees. That said, it was only by serendipity that the famous Geisha coffee was planted on this farm.

It was Geisha coffee’s resistance to disease that ultimately brought the seeds to Hacienda La Esmeralda. Coffee had been grown in places on and around Peterson family farms since the 1960s, but it had been variably harvested and maintained, with a large mix of varieties and accessions planted across the farms. In the 1990s, as coffee production became more of the focus, the Petersons acquired a new, high-altitude farm, which they dubbed Jaramillo. The farm had recently been devastated by coffee leaf rust, but Daniel Peterson noticed that the Geisha trees had not been hurt as badly, so they decided to plant Geisha on more parts of the farm, including in sections above 1650 meters above sea level, higher than Geisha had been planted before.

WHY WE SELECTED THIS COFFEE

This is one of the most exciting coffee we’ve launched to date. Grown on a farm that won Best of Panama in all three major categories this year, this coffee showcases an exceptional level of clarity, complexity, and balance--representing the peak of specialty of coffee.

The cup opens with an abundance of florals: jasmine, rose, and purple lilies. Each note is vivid and well-defined, offering a clean and structured profile. The complex plumcot stone fruit presents initially in a sweet velvety body.

As the coffee cools, it shifts noticeably to sweet mandarin oranges, and a gentle tea-like sweetness. It’s a clear reflection of what’s possible when variety, climate, and processing come together with intention.

This is a coffee best enjoyed with full attention—its nuance and complexity are sure to leave a lasting impression.