Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Janson Geisha Natural Lot 546 Images

Arrived in autumn 2024 in vacuum packed boxes, air shipped directly from the producer. This is a Direct Trade coffee that was purchased at the farm when we visited there in early summer. We were greeted by Jannette Janson and then proceeded to cup several tables of Geisha in various preparations. Overall the quality was very good and we wound up buying our two favorites, both Geisha Naturals. Unfortunately, the quantity of both was quite low and we purchased all of it. We have only about 35 pounds up for grabs.

We have been to Janson in the past. During the prior year, in 2023, we were taken for a spin around the beautifully kept property by Michael Janson and got to see coffees trees that were exceedingly healthy looking. There are two adjacent properties where Janson produces coffee, one called Hacienda Janson and the other Los Alpes. This coffee is from the Hacienda Janson property. Our visit was in advance of the 2024 Best of Panama. As you can see from the award list below, Janson is frequently in the top tier of Panamanian producers, which collectively are some of the highest quality producers in the world.

This lot had enhanced traditional Natural processing, with cherries spending 48 hours in an anaerobic (air free) tank followed by lengthy sun-drying on tables and final finishing in an Estatic dryer.

The two principal coffee centers in the Panama Highlands are Boquete and Volcan. They are each on a different facing of the Baru Volcano which is the focal point of the landscape and which provides rich soils and micro-climates ideal for growing coffee - especially Geisha coffee. The Janson Family farm is in Volcan, the area closest to the border with Costa Rica. In addition to Janson, other notable coffee farms close by are Fincas Auromar, Hartmann and Bambito, to name but a few. Janson has been producing coffee since 1990 though the farm's origin dates back to 1926 when their Swedish ancestors settled here and began to work a dairy farm. With a nod to their Swedish heritage, the highest coffee growing parts of the farm are the "Alpes" area, where this Geisha is planted. We work mostly with second generation Kai Janson, who we have known for many years. Kai lives part of the year in Panama and part in the US. But Panama is where he is now spending more and more time helping to develop new flavors from the various cultivars grown on the family farm.

Janson always had solid, reliably good coffee. In the most recent decade they began growing more varieties and have garnered a bunch of awards, mostly for their Pacamara and their delightful Geisha. They have also been experimental with processing, now offering a range of flavor profiles from mild and balanced, to deeply intense naturals with many traits in between. Balancing natural processing with Geisha's native floral and fruit flavors takes skill. Too much processing and the coffee's inherent flavors get lost, but just the right amount and how deftly it's done, can enhance those very same flavors and make them pop. That is the case with this coffee.

Janson Awards:

    2023 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place
    2023 Geisha Washed - 5th Place
    2020 Pacamara Natural - 1st Place
    2019 Geisha Natural - 2nd Place
    2018 Geisha Natural - 7th Place
    2018 Geisha Washed - 3rd Place
    2016 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place
    2016 Geisha Natural - 3rd Place

In addition to the above awards, the Brewer's Cup competition is held in multiple countries before a final in Australia. The first place winners of the Brewer's Cup in France was using Janson Geisha; in the UK both the first and second place winners offered Janson Geisha.

Small Geisha trees in the nursery

Michael Janson showing off one of the prized Geisha trees

Geisha is a seed variety native to Ethiopia and probably a relative of the Longberry, with a somewhat large and elongated shape. This seed was experimentally planted in Boquete Panama along with many other varieties as a test of what might grow well in this particular micro climate. The result was the birth of a superstar in the world of coffee. Originally planted and brought to celebrity by the Peterson family of Hacienda Esmeralda, this variety started to break price records and the reputation and market for this coffee continues to grow.

Producer Name: Janson Coffee Farm
Coffee Name: Hacienda Janson lot 546
Crop Year: 2024
Variety: Green Tip Geisha
Process: Natural, with 48 hours in anaerobic tank
Drying method: Dried on Patio over many days and then Estatic dryer
Elevation: 1,500 meters
Growing Region: Tizingal, Panama Highlands

The final quality step is hand sorting to remove any less than perfect beans.

We encourage you not add dairy to this coffee and drink it black.

Limited availability.