Spotlight on...Costa Rica Geisha

Like many industries, the coffee industry is adapting to the new Covid-19 reality. Coffee usage has decreased world wide, and some exclusive auction lot coffees that usually go to Japanese and European buyers are now available in the US. Some of these coffees are amazing, and we’re delighted to share them with our customers.

One of the coffees we are most excited about is a naturally processed Geisha from Tarrazu, our favorite growing region in Costa Rica. A coffee cultivar originally from Ethiopia, Geisha (also spelled Gesha) is a complex and lovely coffee. The most famous is Panama Geisha, but Geisha is grown in many other Central American countries as well.

Costa Rica Geisha is from the La Candelilla micromill, a mill collaboratively owned by seven small growers, who opened it in 2000. One of those farmers, Ricardo Hernandez Naranjo, has been growing coffee for 32 years on his Finca Palmillera. Through a translator, he told the coffee importer, "The production of processing specialty coffees is something I have been studying for 15 years. I have had to develop the processes as well as to identify the different varieties for special batches." One of this year’s best “special batches” is our new Costa Rica Geisha.

Anyone who likes naturally processed coffees is going to love this one. The intense aroma caught our attention first. Very rich and sweet, like chocolate covered candied plums, the aroma explodes through the mouth on the first sip, for a silky smooth, chocolate rich coffee that is balanced by candy sweetness and brightened by lively passion fruit notes. This coffee is so good, it’s tempting to drink it all right away, but take time to savor it. The coffee gets even sweeter as it cools, and the passion fruit infused chocolate finish is worth lingering over. This coffee is wonderful brewed hot, and amazing brewed cold.

We like Costa Rica Geisha best at a Full City roast level, because we love the way a medium roast brings out the coffee’s richness. It’s great at any roast level, though. Take it lighter, to a City roast, for more passion fruit brightness. Take it darker, to a Vienna or Northern Italian roast, for a sweeter, bolder cup. Any way you like it, Costa Rica Geisha is a truly lovely coffee.

Have you even had Geisha coffee? If you have, we'd love to hear from you. You can share your thoughts on the Facebook thread or in a comment on this blog. Or, if you'd like to share your opinion with the wider world, leave us a coffee review on Google or on your favorite review site. Not only do we value your opinions, but reviews help more people find us. Help us connect coffee lovers to fresh, quality coffee!

Thanks!

We wish all our customers continued good health as conditions around us continue to change.

~ Carrie, Paul and all of us at Coffee by the Roast

For more information on Costa Rica Geisha and the La Candelilla micromill