simple timeline of coffee Panama geisha

 

Coffea arabica cultivar Geisha T. 2722
 

This variety was originally grown in coffee forests in Ethiopia ( probably 1,900-meter plateau north of the town Gesha in the region of Bench Maji and Goldiya, (gori forest ?)

1930s:

 A letter from the British Consulate dated 1936 makes numerous references to Geisha Mountain and Geisha coffee. East 39 deg 29 min North 5 deg 32 min is Bale Mountains National Park, Harenna Forest, but not sure which co-ordinate system was used)

10 pounds of coffee seeds collected by Captain Walley 

1936:

planted in Kenya

sent to the Lyamungu research station in Tanzania. accession number Geisha VC-496

1953:

arrived CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) in Costa Rica 

logged as accession T.2722

1960s:

Don Pachi Serracin (Callejón Seco district , Boquete) distributed throughout Panama via CATIE after it had been recognized for tolerance to coffee leaf rust. 

 

1978:

First seeds were planted in Boquete on advice of Franciso Serracin senior

Found that Geisha have to be planted above 1600 metres to show it's unique flavours

2003 : "re-discovery"

Francisco José Serracín and Andrés López, accredited as “Catadores Estellas ”(Star Cupper. aka Q grader), as well as Daniel Peterson tasted Café Geisha T.2722, commented “citric acidity that is perceived from its fragrance and aroma, with a body and a balanced acidity highlighting the fruity flavors that the cup has such as papaya, peach and a touch of pineapple ”.

2004: "competition"

the Peterson family of Boquete(Hacienda Esmeralda) Panama, entered it into the "Best of Panama" competition and won

2005:

green bean auction with USD 21,270.52 for 8 boxes ( 50 kg ea), or over 20 dollars per pound

 

genetics:

Recent genetic testing by World Coffee Research (WCR) provides evidence that there are many Geshas growing that are not a genetic match to the CATIE sample. That sample, labelled T2722, is commonly referred to now as Panama(nian) Ge(i)sha 

Now there are more than 50 coffee farms in SCAP

references:

 worldcoffeeresearch

Olam Specialty Coffee 

Germoplasm Costa Rica 

DailyCoffeeNews 

CollaborativeCoffeeSource

Hacienda Esmeralda

Panama's coffee geisha breaks world record - Alexis Miranda Arauz (2006) 

Geisha or Gesha 

Jorge Ramirez

Where the wild coffee grows

geshavillage ethiopia