The acclaimed coffea Arabica variety known as gesha is widely cultivated throughout the coffee producing world today, with highly sought-after gesha microlots commanding some of the highest prices paid for coffee each year. But this was far from the case less than two decades ago. While gesha seeds were originally collected from the Ethiopian forest in the 1930’s by a British colonial expedition, the variety was largely unknown prior to its headline-generating ‘rediscovery’ at the 2004 Best of Panama Competition. When a mysterious coffee, submitted by the Peterson family of Hacienda la Esmeralda, bewitched the blind panel of international judges with its intense jasmine-like qualities, secured first place in the competition, and set a new record for the highest price paid for a coffee at auction, coffee farmers throughout Latin America rushed to plant gesha trees on their farms as well.
This special collection of three delightful geshas from El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico offers a unique exploration of this famous variety. All of these coffees have been meticulously wet processed, offering a clean expression of their shared plant genetics and a clear reflection of the time and place of their production. We are incredibly privileged to work with these coffees and our roasting team has made every effort to present them in a way that honors the hard work and dedication that they represent.
Passenger Director of Coffee, Evan Howe, with Carlos Batres of Montecarlos Estate
Montecarlos Gesha
Honeysuckle • Strawberry • Bergamot
Aromatics of honeysuckle and cocoa introduce a complex cup offering notes of milk chocolate, delicate strawberry, and a refreshing bergamot quality on the finish.
Carlos Batres inherited Montecarlos in the mid-1980s. The fifth generation of his family to steward this land, Batres has made Montecarlos his life’s work. In 2018, the Montecarlos Estate released its first harvest of the gesha variety, produced from seeds that Carlos obtained from none other than the famed Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama. This 2021 harvest marks the fourth consecutive year that we have proudly presented the Montecarlos Gesha on Passenger’s Reserve Lot menu.
Coffee cherry being sorted for ripeness.
Coffee drying at the Montecarlos Mill
El Guayabal Gesha
Orchid • Cooked Berries • Kiwi
Intoxicating aromas of jasmine, orchid, and honey introduce a cup offering additional floral flavors that are beautifully balanced by sweet, fruity notes of raspberry, kiwi, and grilled pineapple.
This vibrant, deeply sweet gesha variety selection from Veracruz, Mexico represents the second specialty harvest from Jesus Javier’s farm, Finca El Guayabal, to be exported to the States. While Jesus’ project at El Guayabal is admittedly still at quite an early stage, the continued excellent quality of his coffee points to a very bright future.
Divino Niño Gesha
Tulip • Raspberry • Black Tea
Members of the Divino Niño Producer Group
While not exhibiting the heady florality of a classic Panamanian gesha, this community blend from Suaza offers a beautifully gentle and nuanced expression of the gesha variety. Subtle florals, raspberry, and wafer cookie on the nose introduce a cup offering a delightfully clean acidity, excellent sweetness, and refreshing flavors of honeysuckle, melon, and kiwi.
Composed of small Gesha deliveries from multiple member farms of the Divino Niño producer group in Suaza, Colombia, this single variety community blend joins our previous Pink Bourbon release on the Education Lot menu. Tasting this variety separation alongside Passenger’s Divino Niño Foundational lot (which is composed of multiple varieties) offers a fascinating opportunity to consider the impact of plant genetics in the cup.
Aeropress Brew Recipe
A beautiful cross between a full immersion brew method and filtered coffee. Quick, clean, and easy to take on the road.
What You Will Need:
- 14g Passenger Coffee
- Burr Grinder
- Gram Scale
- Timer
- Filtered Water
- Kettle
- Aeropress
- Filter
- Serving Vessel
- Spoon
Brewing Instructions
- Bring ~0.5L filtered water to 210ºF in kettle.
- Place filter into Aeropress cap. Screw cap into Aeropress. Place Aeropress on serving vessel. Rinse with hot water. Discard wastewater.
- Grind 14g of coffee on a fine setting on burr grinder. Place coffee in Aeropress.
- Place Aeropress and serving vessel on gram scale. Tare to zero.
- Start Timer. Evenly saturate the ground coffee with 200g water. Stir well to break up clumped coffee grounds.
- Lightly insert plunger into Aeropress without plunging. This will prevent the water from draining through before brewing is complete and aid in heat retention. Remove Aeropress and serving vessel from scale.
- At 1:00, remove plunger. Stir. Replace plunger and press until the bottom of the plunger meets the bed of coffee. Pressing should take approximately :15 seconds.