ILSE COFFEE - Hacienda La Esmeralda Porton 5FC - Panama - Washed - Gesha

Tasting Notes: Bergamot, Honeysuckle, Apricot
Origin: El Velo / Boquete, Panama
Process: Washed
Varieties: Gesha
Elevation: 1700 m 
Harvest: March 2024
Roast Date: November 4, 2024

ilse Coffee Roasters is located in North Canaan, United State

From ilse

This remarkable Gesha comes from one of the most renowned farms in the world—Hacienda La Esmeralda. Harvested on March 14th, 2024, from the Porton plot on their El Velo farm at 1,700 MASL, this lot showcases the purest expression of the Gesha varietal with outstanding complexity and aromatics. The flavor notes are layered and continually evolving, featuring pronounced bergamot and honeysuckle florals, fresh apricot juice and passionfruit with a sweetness like meringue.

Established in 1967 by the Peterson family in the Boquete region of Panama, Hacienda La Esmeralda revolutionized the coffee industry in 2004 by winning the Best of Panama competition, achieving the highest price ever paid at auction for coffee at the time—over $20 per pound. This marked the first time they separated Gesha as a single-variety lot. Since then, the farm has continued to gain international acclaim for producing some of the world’s most complex and celebrated coffees. It is a true honor for us to share their coffee.

FC stands for cool fermented washed with climate controlled drying. The cherries for this lot were picked at peak ripeness on March 14th and meticulously sorted. The following day, they were pulped using spring water and placed in steel tanks for a 3-day aerobic fermentation in a controlled, cool environment. After fermentation, the seeds were rinsed and dried on raised beds for 32 days in a climate controlled drying room.