GEISHA OR GESHA?

Chris O’Brien, founder, owner and operator of Coffee Cycle, and the elder statesman of the Roast! West Coast coffee smarter episodes, can talk, like, really talk. Especially about coffee, and somehow I was lucky enough to meet him, learn coffee from him and now have a platform to share his knowledge about coffee.

This week I ask Chris about Geisha coffee. Sometimes I can be fairly dense when learning about coffee. This does not come naturally to me, rather I have to learn things over and over again. Chris and I have talked about Geisha before. We’ve talked about varietals and coffee genetics before, but I did not remember. All I was thinking about was how most of the Geisha coffees I’ve come across have been expensive, and often revered as the elite offering on the menu. Coffee nerds–I mean aficionados–would speak about it in hushed tones, and often sigh after taking a sip. The ones I’ve tried were fruity and light and balanced, and oft described as “tea like.”

They were fine. Not really my style.

But I know Chris really likes them, and other coffee professionals who I have great respect for, also have a great appreciation for the style. So, I had to ask; what’s the deal with Geisha coffees?

At this point Chris let me know it is really Gesha coffee, named after the Gesha village in Ethiopia where this particular variety was discovered. Apparently, in the early 1900’s branding already mattered, and the name was changed to something more appealing.

Gesha coffee is well-regarded, and it is expensive. In fact, it has some of the highest* per pound sales of any coffee in the world with one pound of un-roasted coffee selling for $1029 at the 2019 Best of Panama competition and auction for premium coffees. The second highest went for $803, and the third for $601. All three were Gesha-style coffees.

Despite the varietal being discovered in Ethiopia, and being named for the village it was discovered in, Gesha coffees are being propagated all across the coffee belt, and even just outside of it in Southern California at Mraz Family Farms.

This week’s Coffee Smarter Episode also touches on roya or coffee rust, which is a fungus that can devastate a coffee crop. I’m not sure how I stumbled upon the Sustainable Food Lab, but I learned a lot about roya from their guide to coffee rust that goes in depth on the history, the problem, how to identify it, and what its impacts are.

Coffee rust, beyond being an annoyance that can create off-flavors in our coffee, can also be financially devastating for the farms it impacts. That goes doubly so for small farmers who depend on their crops to fulfill the coffee futures contracts they’ve agreed to, which I wrote about just a few days ago.

The impacts of coffee rust on a coffee farm is one of the reasons I try to buy coffee from roasters I trust to pursue fair trade principals or even work directly with farms to create long-term sustainable relationships that hopefully help mitigate some of that risk. That is also a reason to be willing to pay a little more, if you can, to support the roasters and cafe’s you believe are doing it right.

*There have since been more expensive coffees claimed to be sold per pound, including a $4,535 per pound coffee from Ninety Plus coffee company, but their style and varietal has not been released, nor are the sales records public.

ROAST! INDUSTRY LEGACY PARTNERS

* Mostra Coffee is releasing a new beer & coffee collaboration this Saturday (5/29). The @Jwakefieldbeer x @MostraCoffee Experience” is Big Poppa Batch 4, an Imperial Stout with coffee, coconut, and vanilla (12% ABV). Bottles will be available to the public starting at 12PM at Mostra 4S Ranch location until they sell out.⁠ Limit: 1 bottle per person⁠

* Leap Coffee is having a “We Made Too Much” Memorial Day Sale. Slightly aged bags at a discount available online Friday morning 5/28 until Monday night 5/31!

Need some coffee? Check out these great companies for delivery, pick-up and finally, even some on-site coffee enjoyment.

Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle •

DON’T MISS IT

Don’t forget to listen to the last interview with Kyle Rosa, the founder of Bluetail Coffee Grove and Breakers Coffee & Wine. We chat about how he uprooted his Bay-area life where he worked as an accountant in tech to move south and start working the land. We’ll be back with another new show next week featuring the team from Coatl Coffee.

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