Panama | Hartmann Estate | Gesha Natural #8109 | Signature Series

Tasting Notes/Sensory: Mango, Tea Rose, Strawberry, Honey
SCA Score: 86.5
Suitable with Milk? No
Roast Level: Light
AGTRON: 68
Roast Level Suits: Filter
Processing: Natural
Varietal: Gesha

FARM/COOP/STATION: Hartmann Estate
ALTITUDE: 1,260 to 1,500 metres above sea level
OWNER: Hartmann family
SUBREGION/TOWN: Santa Clara, Renacimiento, Candela
REGION: Chiriqui
HARVEST MONTHS: December 2022 - March 2023

This lot from the Hartmann family is comprised of Gesha, an impressively high-scoring variety loved for its floral and nuanced flavours.

Central Coast Coffee Brew Recipe

We are aiming for a 22.5-23.5% extraction with this coffee for our preference in taste.

We are using the Clever Dripper Brewer and the Samo Bloom Brewing method, grinding on the Acaia Orbit with SSP burrs at 10.

- 15g coffee, ground medium-fine (slightly finer than a typical V60 grind)
- 250g water, divided into two temperatures:
- Initial bloom: 50-60°C
- Subsequent pour: 95°C

Steps
- 0:00: Pour 45g of water at 50-60°C for the bloom.
- Immediately after: increase kettle temperature to 95°C.
- 0:00 - 2:00: Bloom phase.
- 2:00 - 2:20: Continuous pour phase, using these checkpoints:
- 2:05: total water 100g
- 2:10: total water 150g
- 2:15: total water 200g
- 2:20: finish at 250g
- 2:20 - 2:25: gently swirl.

Total brew time: approx. 3:30. Adjust grind for taste and time - too fast or acidic, grind finer; too slow or bitter, grind coarser.

About Hartmann Estate

The Hartmann family patriarch, Alois St. Hartmann, was born in Czechoslovakia in 1891. In 1914, at the onset of the First World War, Hartmann emigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States where he changed his name to Luis Hartmann. He later purchased land in Chiriqui, Panama and built a house, and on that land began growing the first coffee trees on the Hartmann Estate.

Direct descendants of Luis Hartmann own and manage the estate today. Third-generation Ratibor Hartmann manages the business and each of his four siblings oversees a specific aspect of the farm. There is a warm family feel to this estate, and issues are resolved smoothly in a way that tells you this family has lived and worked together all their lives.

After harvest, cherry is visually inspected to remove damaged, over-ripe and under-ripe fruit, then laid on raised beds to sun-dry. Raised beds allow better airflow throughout drying, which helps prevent over-fermenting or spoiling, and the cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying.

About the Gesha Variety

Gesha (also spelled Geisha) is known for its exceptional cup quality, especially when grown at high altitudes. The variety comes from Ethiopian landrace coffees collected from Ethiopian coffee forests in the 1930s, and the name derives from Ethiopia's Gori Gesha forest.

There is some confusion with several genetically distinct varieties that have all been called Gesha, but the most famous is the Panama one. The variety was brought to Lyamungu research station in Tanzania and from there to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Central America in 1953, where it was logged as T2722. CATIE distributed T2722 across Panama in the 1960s for its Coffee Leaf Rust resistance, but its brittle branches meant it was not widely planted.

Panama Gesha reached its modern fame in 2005 when a Gesha lot won the Best of Panama competition and broke records at over $20 per pound. DNA analysis has demonstrated that the Panama Gesha descended from T2722 is distinct and uniform. Today, Gesha is known for its delicate florals, jasmine and stone fruit.

Coffee in Panama

Though small in coffee production, Panama is a mighty player in coffee quality. In particular, Panama is famous for producing Gesha lots that have fetched prices exceeding $800 per pound, and its renown as a producer of rare and sought-after varieties has reshaped the way the world produces, purchases and talks about specialty coffee.

The high value of Gesha has brought out both the best and the worst in the industry. For established producers who receive excellent prices, that money has often been reinvested in their communities and in renovating their farms to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Unfortunately, the lure of Gesha's value has also led some to bypass traditional land purchasing agreements and illegally deforest areas of national parks. Even so, the blossoming coffee industry in Panama has demonstrated real potential to raise incomes for a wider spectrum of producers and coffee workers.