Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Janson Geisha Natural Lot 260 Images

About Panama Janson Geisha Natural Lot 260

Arrived the very beginning of July 2023, in vacuum packed boxes, air shipped directly from the producer. This is the second coffee that we purchased from Janson this season and it, like the other, is a Direct Trade coffee. Green tip Geisha Natural lot # 260. Barry (traveling with coffee friend Mike P) visited the Janson farm on May 18th where we were greeted by Jannette Janson and then proceeded to cup several tables of Geisha in various preparations as well as a couple of Pacamara coffees. Overall the quality was very good and we wound up buying our two favorites, one Geisha Washed - now sold out at Roastmasters - and this Geisha Natural. We bought the entirety of this particular lot so it is exclusive to us. We have only about 35 pounds up for grabs.

While we were familiar with Janson coffee for years, this was our first visit to the farm itself. After cupping, 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 2023 Best of Panama. It is noteworthy that Janson Geisha coffees made it to the coveted top 8 winners in both Geisha Washed and Natural categories. In the Geisha washed category they took 5th place and in the Geisha Natural category 3rd place, the latter with a score of 94.50 points. Both of these coffees were likewise from the Los Alpes lot. This is a big accomplishment as the competition, scores, and resulting prices are really the highest on the planet these days.

This lot had enhanced traditional Natural processing, with cherries spending 48 hours in a tank followed by 17 days of sun-drying and final finishing in an Estatic dryer.

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. Barry, from Roastmasters, saw Kai in August 2022 while participating in the Best of Panama as a judge, the first in person such event since 2019. 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 260
Crop Year: Harvest date: February 13, 2023
Variety: Green Tip Geisha
Process: Natural, with cherries 2 days in tank
Drying method: Dried on Patio 17 days and then Estatic dryer
Elevation: 1,700 meters
Growing Region: Tizingal, Panama Highlands

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

Cup Characteristics: Noticeable processing evident in addition to caramel tones. Flavors of stone fruit, pronounced vanilla. Red and tart green apple acidity with balsamic acetic notes in the background. Typical jasmine florals enhanced by deft processing. A lovely Natural Geisha from an award winning producer at a very fair price.

Roasting Notes: Like most dense, hard bean and delicate coffees, we always suggest keeping it to the lighter roast side, maybe midway between first and second crack. This maximizes nuances, in this case the sweet acidity and floral Geisha notes that further roasting will diminish.