Honduras Geisha: The Queen of Coffee!

Time to roll out the red carpet for one of the most celebrated coffees in the world: Honduras Geisha!

Flavor snapshot:

• Milk Chocolate

• Marzipan

• Vanilla

• Orange Zest

Geisha is to coffee as Kobe is to beef. It refers to a specific varietal known for exceptional quality, often grown under meticulous conditions to bring out its full potential.

The plants are typically shade-grown at higher altitudes and spaced farther apart than conventional crops. The slower growth and reduced competition allow more nutrients to go into each plant, producing a coffee with complex flavors and a delicate body you just don’t get otherwise. The trade off though is it yields a considerably smaller crop, combined with the extra care in cultivation causes this coffee to be a bit pricey.

A Little Backstory

I was introduced to this coffee by a sales representative from Altesa Coffee Imports, a company focused on direct trade relationships with small farms in Honduras. Alongside the Geisha, I received two additional samples. One of which was the Yellow Catuai, and you can read about here.

I did mention in that article that I have thoughts about the Geisha coffee, so here we are. Thank you for staying tuned!

I’m naturally skeptical of anything expensive. Not because I’m cheap, but because hype doesn’t always match reality. I’m happy to try high-end coffees, especially when someone else is footing the bill, but most of the ones people rave about have been underwhelming at best, or actually terrible. I wrote an article about Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, which you can read here.

One of the other reasons I'm skeptical of expensive coffees is how particular everything needs to be in order to enjoy it fully. Naturally, you can't buy a $100 Kobe beef ribeye, cook it well done and expect it to taste any better than a $10 ribeye. Likewise, you can't roast Geisha coffee the same way you roast regular coffee and expect it to taste delicious. That being said, I'll freely confess that my first time roasting it wasn't done quite right. I took it more to a medium roast rather than the delicate light roast it requires. The result? It tasted like a regular Honduran coffee. A humbling reminder that this isn’t a coffee you can treat casually. (To be fair, this was also my first time sample roasting anything on my new machine, so that's my fault.)

I knew I was going to need some help researching the best practices for Geisha, so I reached to my friends at Those Coffee People. They have one called King Arthur Geisha, so I requested a sample. I originally requested unroasted beans only, but they were very kind to add in a roasted sample. That was exactly what I needed! (I'll have a full write up of that sample soon, so stay tuned!)

Once I had a proper frame of reference, I was able to set everything up to get the right roasting level. So, after weeks of agonizing over best roasting practices and such, here are my findings on this unique coffee.

Hot coffee: Pour-over

• Measurements: I weighed out 1 1/2oz of beans and 22 fluid oz of water.

• Temperature: Water was approximately 195℉

• Grind size: Slightly more fine than a Chemex

• First tasting, 2 days after roasting: It was like a lightbulb went off above my head! Suddenly, it made sense why this coffee is so expensive. The experience was also humbling because it showed me how much I still have to learn about roasting coffee. The acidity was there, but it was pleasant and bright. The chocolate and almond notes were there as expected, but instead of dark chocolate and toasted almond, it's more like milk chocolate and marzipan. Even with the slight acidity present, a smooth, almost creamy vanilla-like finish. As the cup cooled, the chocolate became more prominent.

Espresso: Single Shot, double-walled portafilter.

• Measurements: I weighed out 1/2oz beans for just under 1/3cup of espresso.

• Grind size: Much like the pour over, I ground this slightly more fine than I would for a normal shot of espresso.

• Pull time: For a single shot, I ran it for 25 seconds.

• Conclusion: I was surprised that the acidity didn't overpower the shot. It was there, but served to accent the cup nicely. The chocolate was unsurprisingly prominent. The nuttiness wasn't quite as noticeable though. Overall, it holds up well as a light roast espresso.

Cold brew: I prepared it using a 1:12 ratio (1 oz coffee by weight to 12 oz room-temperature water by volume) with a 12-hour extraction.

• Conclusion: Generally, cold brew is nice because it lowers the acidity, but in this case it actually worked against this coffee. It was smooth and chocolate-forward, but this method mutes what makes Geisha special. Honestly, I wouldn’t spend this kind of money just to cold brew it.

Final thoughts

This coffee pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to grow as a roaster. It almost feels like a romantic comedy where the roaster is this nice guy who plays it safe, but the Geisha coffee is like the quirky girl he falls in love with and they end up having this wild and crazy adventure together. It’s not forgiving, but when you get it right, it’s unforgettable.

This is a world class coffee that will certainly give you plenty to think about. Geisha is the coffee they showcase at international conventions when it's time to decide who has the best coffee in the world. And you know what the best part is? It didn't spend any time in the digestive tract of a civet or elephant!

If you're into coffee (I would imagine you are if you're reading this blog post) this is one you owe it to yourself to try at least once.

When you brew it yourself, I’d love to hear what you taste. You can order yours here:

Buy here!