Friday, April 02, 2010

Panama Gesha Hacienda Esmeralda: Sweet and sublime perfection

John Says...

It's been two hours since I've had my second cup of Panama Gesha Esmeralda, and the flavors are still lingering on my palate like morning dew on a blade of grass.

I've tasted Gesha cultivar a few years ago in a wonderful "Don Pachi" from Stumptown, but this is the first batch of Gesha from the wonderful Hacienda Esmeralda that I have roasted myself.

Today I've tested two cups of this coffee on the siphon, and this transcends every coffee I've had up to this point.

First what hits you is the aromatics, they playfully coax your senses where you can almost feel the texture in your mouth before it touches your lips. As it cools to drinking temperature you get a sense of what you are about to have.

First is the silky smooth mouthfeel and sweet berry notes. Careful to take only sips so you can decipher the blueberry from the raspberry and strawberry. In the middle of nowhere a sweet jasmine note leaps out. As the cup cools some notes are sweeter and brighter and some are round and fruity. Some flavors nestle on licorice. Some flavors mingle with berries. Others playfully dance about your mouth with cautious merriment. Red currant. Strawberry. Soft jammy blueberry layered on sweet jasmine. As it leaves my mouth the sweetness lingers, the flavors hide in my cheeks only to reveal themselves minutes later.

The last sip. blueberry, strawberry, jasmine. Both separate and together. Smoothness. Gentleness. Sweet and sublime perfection.