Brief Description
Montaña 3 NC is a true testament to meticulous craftsmanship. This coffee showcases an intricate flavour profile with vibrant notes of jasmine, rosehip, strawberry and dark grapes.
| Farm | Hacienda La Esmeralda |
|---|---|
| Process | Montaña 3NC Natural |
| Varietal | Geisha |
| Elevation | +1690 MASL |
| Region | Cañas Verdes, Panama |
| Country | Panama |
The Process
Montaña 3 NC was harvested on January 17, 2024 from the Montaña lot in Hacienda La Esmeralda’s Cañas Verdes Farm. After harvest, the coffee cherries were slow dried for 46 days in a cold temperature, dehydrated room on raised beds.
| Lot Name: | Montaña |
|---|---|
| Harvest Date: | 17/01/2024 |
| Estimated Annual Rainfall: | 3500 mm |
| Average Temperature: |
Daily 16°C - 23°C Nightly: 10°C - 15°C |
| GPS (Lot): | 8°46'2"N 82°29'40"W |
| Average Coffee Tree Age in Lot: |
16 years |
| Total ha in Production in Lot: |
0.5 ha |
Esmeralda Special Geisha Collection
Esmeralda Special Geisha is a collection of top-tier, high-altitude Geisha coffees (1,600–1,800 masl) with cupping scores over 91 points. Sourced from our Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo farms, these are the best Geishas we offer. The mountains of Boquete bring out Geisha’s unique floral and citrus aromas, making it a standout.
Each microlot is exceptional, with distinct floral notes of jasmine, bergamot, and stone fruits, creating the signature Esmeralda Special taste. Available in both washed and natural processed varieties, these lots are truly a treat for the senses.
How To Brew?
With this coffee we recommend you to brew it in one of those methods:
Who's Behind This Amazing Coffee?
The high-altitude Geisha planting at Jaramillo sparked something big. In 2004, during the lead-up to the Best of Panama competition, the Petersons tried something new—separating lots by different areas of the farm. When one of their high-altitude Jaramillo lots hit the cupping table, it blew everyone away.
For the first time, cuppers tasted a 100% Geisha coffee, and it was like nothing they’d ever experienced—bursting with juicy brightness and complex aromas, it was more like an Ethiopian coffee than a Latin American one! The buzz was real, and Hacienda La Esmeralda went on to win the competition, setting a record for the highest price ever paid at auction.
A Glimpse Into the Rich History of Hacienda La Esmeralda
Coffee has been growing on the lands surrounding Hacienda La Esmeralda since at least 1890, and it’s that rich heritage of knowledge and culture that helped the Peterson family transform their land into a world-class coffee farm. Fast forward to 1988, and they made their first expansion with the Palmira farm—an exciting new chapter for Panama’s coffee scene, which at the time was mainly focused on mass-market, undifferentiated coffee. Specialty Coffee? That was still a buzzword waiting to take off!
But here’s the real story: In 1997, the Petersons purchased the land that would become the iconic Jaramillo Farm. Nestled on the slopes of Volcan Baru, this high-altitude plot was chosen with one goal in mind—creating coffees that are livelier, more nuanced, and that score like nothing else. And get this—by pure chance, it’s here that the famous Geisha coffee found its home. Talk about a happy accident!
The Geisha Journey to Hacienda La Esmeralda
The story of Geisha coffee dates back to 1936, when British Consul Captain Richard Whalley collected 10 pounds of seeds from the Geisha Mountain region in Ethiopia. This marked the beginning of a complex journey for Geisha, traveling through gene-banks in Tanzania and Costa Rica before landing at Hacienda La Esmeralda.
Originally part of a survey on wild coffee varieties, Geisha’s unique flavors were almost overlooked—until its resistance to coffee leaf rust caught the eye of the Petersons. In the 1990s, after acquiring the high-altitude Jaramillo farm, they planted Geisha at over 1650 meters, higher than ever before. And the rest? Well, the world fell in love with Geisha’s incredible flavors, all thanks to a mix of altitude, timing, and a little serendipity.
