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Panama La Esmeralda 1500

White Florals, Raspberry, Raw Sugar

 

The Peterson family coffee farm in Panama (Hacienda La Esmeralda) has been the gold standard for growing the Gesha (sometimes spelled Geisha) coffee variety around the world. The “1,500” portion of the title refers to the minimum meters above sea level of where the coffee is grown. This translates to about 5,000 ft. where most coffee in the world is grown between 1,000-3,000 ft.

In 1973, Price Peterson absorbed the role of management of the Hacienda from his father. Price had moved to Panama a few years earlier and began to play a much bigger role at the farm. He had studied neurochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania and received his doctorate in 1961. His background in science has been a major benefit to the farm since absorbing management responsibility. In 1987, large sections of their property were planted with coffee trees. They installed a beneficioto process coffee directly on the farm.

In 1996 the Petersons came together to purchase another farm in the area, Esmeralda Jaramillo. It was on a section of this farm that they discovered the famous Esmeralda Special, Geisha trees, which had not been damaged by leaf rust as badly as other varieties on the farm. Their discovery of this rare varietal was groundbreaking in the coffee world. In 2004, the farm won the Best of Panama competition. Following that competition, they set a world record for the price paid for coffee at auction. That price has been shattered several times as they have garnered a reputation as one of the world’s elite coffee producers.

All farms at Hacienda La Esmeralda are Rainforest Alliance Certified, attesting to Esmeralda’s sustainable practices: reuse of leftover coffee pulp as a fertilizer; forest maintenance along watersheds; timing coffee tree pruning around bird nesting season; use of hydroelectricity and sustainable wood burning to run the coffee mill; and more.

Hacienda La Esmeralda is a family owned company that produces specialty coffee in the highlands of Boquete, located in the South-West mountains of Panama, and is home to the famous award-winning Esmeralda Special Geisha Coffee. At Esmeralda, we take pride in achieving the highest standards of sustainable coffee production. We devote time and attention to the details and fine touches that have always distinguished us from other coffee producers in the world. Hacienda La Esmeralda is owned by the Peterson Family.

 

The Esmerelda Farms
Situated amongst volcanic mountain ridges surrounding the Boquete River Valley, the farms offer a range of lush micro-climates, fed by two ocean breezes.

Jaramillo Farm:
The Jaramillo Farm is where the Geisha Variety was first discovered in 2004 by Daniel Peterson (Grandson of Esmeralda founder Rudolph Peterson). The geisha variety form Hacienda La Esmeralda first competed and won in the Best of Panama in 2004, and continued to win for many years after. In the Jaramillo micro-climates, the Geisha’s bright, floral aromatics express themselves boldly.  With cooler temperatures and massive shade trees that have been standing for ages, Jaramillo is the perfect place for this variety to have landed. To this day many of our top performing micro lots of Geisha coffee (with names such as Mario, Bosque, Noria and Reina) come from little patches on the slopes of Jaramillo. This area is influenced from both the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, and enjoys a high humidity level year round.

Cañas Verdes Farm:
On the slopes of the majestic Volcán Baru, Cañas Verdes is part of the original Peterson holdings since 1967. Cañas Verdes has a distinct three to four months dry season, producing balanced and fruity Geisha micro-lots with structured acidity and a high complexity in the cup. Coffees from this farm have also set world auction records in the Best of Panama.

 

Area: Boquete, Chiriquí, Panamá

Process: Washed

Variety: Gesha

Altitude: 1500 meters

 

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