ABOUT HACIENDA LA ESMERALDA

Hacienda La Esmeralda has been a very special farm for quite a long time. It is responsible for putting Gesha on the map in Central America, as well as introducing the world to numerous examples of coffee’s true potential. This lot is produced using only recycled water sourced from the highlands near the wet mill. Hacienda La Esmeralda is using the proceeds from the sale of this coffee to develop a school for the picker's children, supply hot meals for all of the pickers and their families while they live on the farm, and provide a bi-annual bonus of at least 30%.

ABOUT GESHA

Gesha was originally collected from coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930's. From there, it was sent to the Lyamungo Research Station in Tanzania, and then brought to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in the 1953, where it was logged as accession T2722. It was distributed throughout Panama via CATIE in the 1960’s after its tolerance to coffee leaf rust was recognized. However, it was not widely planted because the plant's branches were brittle and not favored by farmers. Gesha came to prominence in 2005, when the Peterson family of Boquete, Panama, entered it into the Best of Panama competition and auction. It received exceptionally high marks and broke the then-record for green coffee auction prices, selling for over $20 per pound. Since then, the variety has become a resounding favorite of brewing and roasting competition winners and coffee enthusiasts alike.