Hacienda La Esmeralda After Best Of Panama

Three Geisha microlots, a conversation, and why Panama still leads

Blackboard Coffee Roasters’ Managing Director, Danny Andrade, sat down with Rachel Peterson, whose family operates the world-famous Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, Panama. Esmeralda is the estate that reintroduced Geisha to the world in 2004, and in 2025 it completed a rare clean sweep at Best of Panama with first place in Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietal. The win fed into record-setting auctions, including a Washed Geisha that sold for US$30,204 per kilogram (about AU$46,304) to Julith Coffee in Dubai, while JD.com secured the Natural.

Our conversation with Rachel frames this Special Reserve release, then the coffees themselves do the explaining.

“Hacienda La Esmeralda is a coffee farm and we’re mostly known for being the first to bring the geisha variety to the world or to bring that flavour back into the world… in 2004.” - Rachel Peterson

“We were lucky enough to win all three of the categories of the Best of Panama, the Geisha Washed, the Geisha Natural, and the Varietal.” - Rachel Peterson

Inside the conversation

Danny and Rachel cover history, why 2025 mattered, what actually drives cup quality at Esmeralda, how auctions function in the real world, and how Boquete’s microclimates translate to flavour. They finish with why controlled fermentation, climate-managed drying, and proper resting are central to the profile and longevity of these coffees.

Why this year hit differently

The headline scores came from fundamentals, not theatrics. High elevations, trees at maturity, and disciplined post-harvest.

“The coffees were really very good, very, very good. They came from over 2,000 meter elevation and they’re 13 years old.” - Rachel Peterson

Last season was the first crop from that planting and stayed in Esmeralda’s private auction. With a little more volume this year they entered Best of Panama.

“We were blown away really by the quality… and we just thought it was an amazing coffee.” - Rachel Peterson

What auctions really do

Top buyers use iconic coffees to create moments, launch stores, or anchor categories. Rachel spells it out.

“Auctions are about… marketing really more than anything else… The people who bought it had a plan on what they were going to do with it… And that was the Washed that went to Dubai, to Julith Coffee in Dubai.” - Rachel Peterson

“JD.com in China, bought the Geisha Natural.” - Rachel Peterson

Process with purpose

Esmeralda has leaned into steady conditions and time, not additives. Slow, stable drying, plus low-temperature ferments for washed lots.

“We use a climate control drying room where we can control the humidity, we can control the temperature and we can control the airflow.” - Rachel Peterson

“It dries at a steady rate without having fluctuations in temperature or in humidity so much.” - Rachel Peterson

“The low temperature fermentation that we use for the washed coffee… usually going to be 48 hours, two days… versus the outside fermentations… 24 hours.” - Rachel Peterson

Rest, then release

Coffee needs time to open up after drying.

“It definitely needs for sure the 30 days and then it starts to have a better expression.” - Rachel Peterson

Boquete, block by block

They map flavour to place, then process. Jaramillo reads perfumed and classic Geisha. Cañas Verdes is drier mid-season, with more drive and tropicals.

“Jaramillo is very floral. It should have a perfumey sort of Chanel, like perfume… you should expect… peaches… bergamot… jasmine.” - Rachel Peterson

“It’s got a very defined dry season… so it tends to have more intensity and brightness… tropical fruits… forest berries… and the sweetness is more on the side of sugarcane or… panela.” - Rachel Peterson

Time on the ground

The relationship is practical, not just polite. Danny has been on farm, tasting and learning with the team.

“Yeah, I remember you stayed for a while. You got to see everything. It’s just important. You get to see how everything works.” - Rachel Peterson

Explore the releases

Noria 3 BANC · Geisha, Natural · Special Reserve

Processing

Selective harvest on 6 Feb 2025. Three days of pre-drying on raised beds to begin gentle dehydration, then five days sealed in a stainless anaerobic tank inside a cold fermentation room. Drying was completed indoors over forty-five days in a climate-controlled facility with constant airflow and tight temperature and humidity management. The coffee then rested in parchment prior to milling

How it tastes

Jasmine up front; strawberry and plum through the middle; a very clean, lingering finish. The short outdoor pre-dry sets up calm fermentation, the cold-room anaerobic keeps fruit precise rather than boozy, and the long, steady indoor dry preserves clarity and length in the cup.

“It’s more about the clean nice expressive fruits, raspberries blueberries… there could be a combination of a lot of different [fruits].” - Rachel Peterson
Context: Rachel describing the profile direction of Natural lots.

Why it tastes that way

A short outdoor pre-dry starts gentle dehydration and calms the fruit, so the five days sealed in a cold stainless tank build clean red-fruit precursors rather than boozy tones. The long, climate-controlled dry over forty-five days keeps temperature, airflow, and humidity steady, which preserves jasmine aromatics, protects strawberry and plum sweetness, and delivers that very tidy finish once the coffee has rested.

“I believe that… it’s good for the… longevity of a coffee to dry it slowly to the correct humidity and then just maintain it in a temperature which is neither super hot nor super cold… until it ships.” - Rachel Peterson

Noria 4 FB · Geisha, Washed · Special Reserve

Processing

Selective harvest on 22 Feb 2025, cherries depulped the same day, then fermented for 72 hours in a low-temperature room to keep development precise and tidy. The parchment then dried slowly on raised beds for 22 days, before resting in parchment ahead of milling.

How it tastes

Jasmine, yellow peach, brown sugar. High-clarity florals lead, ripe stone fruit fills the middle, then a mellow brown-sugar glow as it cools. The long, cool 72-hour ferment sharpens structure without rough edges, while 22 days on beds preserve lift and sweetness consistent with Jaramillo’s perfume-forward style.

“you should expect… peaches… bergamot… jasmine.” - Rachel Peterson

Why it tastes that way

Depulping and a cool seventy-two hour ferment strip noise and sharpen structure, which pushes classic washed-Geisha cues like jasmine and yellow stone fruit to the front. Slow raised-bed drying for twenty-two days concentrates sugars without rough edges, so the cup opens with high-clarity florals, settles into ripe peach, then lands on an easy brown-sugar warmth after cooling.

“When we’re doing wash… we’re really looking at either florals or yellow fruits, this is mostly what is expressed when you do wash coffees.” - Rachel Peterson

Montaña 7 FB · Geisha, Washed · Special Reserve

Processing

Selective harvest on 27 Feb 2025. Cherries depulped the same day, then fermented for 96 hours in a low-temperature room to develop clarity and structure. The parchment dried slowly on raised beds for 17 days before preparation for export.

“tropical fruits… forest berries… and the sweetness is more on the side of sugarcane or… panela.” - Rachel Peterson

“Montaña actually is one of my favourite lots. I love Montaña a lot.” - Danny Andrade

How it tastes

Jasmine, lavender, guava, vanilla. Silky and lifted, with tropical nuance and a gentle vanilla finish that lingers. The long, cool 96-hour ferment builds a precise frame, while the 17-day raised-bed dry keeps aromatics high and the palate luminous.

Why it tastes that way

Same-day depulping removes skin influence early, then a cool ninety-six hour ferment builds a precise, low-noise frame where floral precursors stay intact and tropical esters develop cleanly. The Cañas Verdes dry season pushes ripeness and acidity, which reads as lifted brightness and a sugarcane-leaning sweetness in the cup. Seventeen days on raised beds finish the job slowly and evenly, so jasmine and lavender sit high, guava fills the middle, and a soft vanilla note lingers without rough edges.

“Montaña has been in the Best of Panama. has won the Best of Panama before, 2017, I think, or 16” - Rachel Peterson

How To Brew

To fully unlock the unique characteristics of these Special Reserve coffees, we recommend trying these brewing methods:

• Pour Over
  
  • V60
  • Origami ceramic dripper
  • Hario Switch
  • Chemex
• Siphon
• Aeropress
• Delterpress

Each method reveals different layers of flavour, ensuring a memorable cup every time. For more brewing tips, check out our Brewing Guide.

Recipe - Noria 3 BANC Natural

Recomended brewing device - V60 Plastic

Recipe - Noria 4 FB Washed

Recomended brewing device - Hario Mugen

Recipe - Montaña 7 FB Washed

Recomended brewing device - V60 Ceramic

Process and ethos

Ethos, sites, and what the codes mean

Hacienda La Esmeralda’s approach is patient and exacting. Rachel frames it simply, then pushes for continual refinement. 

“You always have to continue to try and find whatever is going to be good for your coffee at your farm… continuously experimenting with different techniques for processing and for drying,” - Rachel Peterson

When I talk about experimenting, I really do mean just with coffee, like with what is innate in coffee… Maybe we should have different temperatures for different things… Trying to get the 100 points.” - Rachel Peterson

Decoding the lot names

These lot codes are Esmeralda’s shorthand for how the coffee moved through harvest and post-harvest.

• Pick pass number
  Each block is picked multiple times through the harvest; only ripe cherries are taken each pass. A higher number means a later pass on that same area. Later passes often bring slower ripening and higher sugar; expect rounder sweetness and calmer acidity.
• F
  Fermented in a cold room under tight temperature control. Cooler, longer ferments clean up the profile; think tidy structure, high clarity, no boozy edges.
• B
  Dried on raised beds with airflow above and below. This evens out drying and protects aromatics; expect cleaner florals and a neater finish.
• A
  Anaerobic. fermentation carried out in a sealed environment with little to no oxygen. Anaerobic microbes metabolise natural sugars present in the fruit. The flavour outcome depends on variables like temperature, time, pH, and cherry condition, not the anaerobic step alone.
  
• N
  Natural. Dried in the whole cherry. More contact with the fruit layers boosts body and amplifies fruit tone when handled cleanly.
• C
  Controlled drying room. Climate-managed finish with steady temperature, humidity, and airflow. Slower, consistent drying that preserves clarity and improves shelf stability.

Put simply, Noria 4 FB reads classic washed Geisha with extra definition from the cold ferment, Montaña 7 FB layers Cañas Verdes’ drier-season punch over the same precise FB handling with more picking passes, and Noria 3 BANC has the deepest, most intense fruit expression, thanks to the anaerobic natural process and steady climate-controlled drying.

The region

Boquete is a patchwork, and Esmeralda farms sit in two quite different corners of it.

Jaramillo, Noria lot

Cool and misty is the norm. Rachel calls it a cloud forest, with “a lot of humidity… a lot of mist all year round” and no sharply defined dry season. That suits the classic perfumed Geisha style. From Noria you should expect Chanel-like florals, jasmine and white flowers, plus stone fruit and bergamot in a very traditional Geisha cup. Our two Noria lots were picked at around 1,662 metres, which fits that elegant, perfume-first expression.

“It’s always good also to have different representation from different farms… you can… come to your own conclusions on, oh, I like Cañas Verdes, or I like El Velo, or I like Jaramillo.” - Rachel Peterson

Cañas Verdes, Montaña lot

Same district, different rhythm. Cañas Verdes has a marked dry season from December to February when it “won’t rain at all”. That window pushes intensity and brightness through the middle of harvest, with riper tropicals and a sweetness that reads more like sugarcane or panela. Montaña sits about 1,690 metres and has featured in Best of Panama before, which tells you the site has form for clarity and power.

“It’s got a very defined dry season from December through February where it won’t rain at all.” - Rachel Peterson

Brew bar takeover · pre-sale

Coffee Anthology, Brisbane
Brew bar takeover featuring all three Esmeralda lots side by side.
Date 6th December 2025
Sessions* 8:00AM, 10:00AM, 12:00PM

“We are very excited to share those incredible lots from Hacienda La Esmeralda… we are doing a brew bar takeover at Coffee Anthology.” - Danny Andrade

Pre-sale
These three coffees will be roasting late November. Orders are open now for pre-order and cupping tickets will be announced soon.

*limited to 20 guests per session.

Two sites, three different approaches & one producer at the peak of its craft. Noria 3 BANC, Noria 4 FB, and Montaña 7 FB show clean, terroir-first Geisha with the sort of precision that made Esmeralda famous. Secure a bag, come taste them on bar, and see why Boquete still leads the conversation.

Noria 3 BANC | Noria 4 FB | Montaña 7 FB
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