"Upon grounding it release the aroma of jasmine bergamot, orange blossom and peach. At first sip, a very floral with a distinct, lemony citrus with a mild grape fruit tone; in mid section accompanied by the notes of honey, peach and bergamot with lemongrass aroma from start to the end. The texture is smooth, clean and offering a sweet and delicate taste."
Over the past four years of our coffee roasting journey, we have not had the opportunity to roast the exceptional Geisha beans from Damarli Estate. However, we recently had the chance to acquire the Green Tip Geisha variety from Damarli Estate, which we are particularly excited about. Our appreciation for their coffee extends to their Catuai beans, processed using Food Grade yeast, including notable strains like the Redfox and the custom-cultivated Rogue Pacman yeast, courtesy of the brewery themselves. This unique fermentation process, known as the Noble process, has been consistently employed by Damarli Estate year after year. In this specific lot, they've utilized Breeze yeast for the fermentation process.
Damarli Estate is a well-established name in the world of specialty coffee, nestled in the mountainous region of Boquete, Panama. Its origins trace back to 1995 when David Pech acquired the farm and named it DAMARLI, representing the initials of the investors: DAvid, MAnfred, Ruth, LIa. In 2014, Keith Pech moved from the United States to Boquete to further develop and enhance the farm.
Most of the coffee trees were planted in 1996 and started producing beans in 2001. Initially, the coffee was primarily sold locally for local consumption. However, when Keith took charge in Boquete, it marked the beginning of a new era for their coffee beans. Keith's efforts included identifying unique varieties that could be marketed internationally, and eventually, the entire coffee processing was brought in-house to the farm.
Speaking specifically about Geisha coffee, there are two varieties - the Green Tip Geisha and the Bronze Tip Geisha. In this case, we are working with the Green Tip Geisha, which is known for its pronounced floral notes and higher, more vibrant acidity. The Bronze Tip Geisha, on the other hand, offers a less floral (though still retaining some floral notes) profile with a smoother and creamier mouthfeel.
The Noble process employed here is labor-intensive. Initially, coffee cherries are floated in water to remove any floaters. They are then hand-sorted meticulously. After the sorting process, the cherries are placed in maceration tanks where cool water is added along with the selected yeast for the fermentation process. The tanks are sealed tightly, and the water inside is consistently monitored over the next four days to achieve the desired brix level. Once the process is complete, the cherries are transferred to raised beds. The fermented cherries are regularly tumbled and moved to ensure uniform drying.
Upon reaching the target moisture level, the dried cherries are rested for a few weeks before they undergo milling to remove the dried shell. Subsequently, they are screened using a 16-20 size screen, removing any beans above size 20 or below size 16. Following this, the dried beans undergo manual sorting to eliminate damaged beans that may have occurred during the milling process. Finally, an optical sorter is employed for the ultimate quality control check before the coffee is vacuum packed and prepared for export.
The meticulous process is evident in the uniformity found in the cup.
Variety : Green Tip Geisha
Altitude : 1500 masl
Process : Noble Natural
Origin : Volcancito, Boquete.