Panama Esmerelda Gesha, Lot 5

THE. MOST. EXPENSIVE. COFFEE. IN. THE. WORLD.

That got your attention, didn't it? Sorry to let you down, but I am not willing to spend over a $100 on a pound of green coffee beans. Also, don't forget that you lose about 20% of the mass of the beans after roasting....

Panama's Esmerelda gesha coffee is the most acclaimed and pricey coffee on the planet. The last two years have seen the prices skyrocket to stratospheric heights. Is it worth it? That depends. Is it great coffee? Yes, indeed it is.

Luckily, the folks that produce the coffee separate lots out from different areas of their farm, and there are "bargains" to be found beside the auction lots that go for serious cash. Last year I had some of the non-auction Esmerelda coffee, and this year I picked up two of the less expensive lots. These are still not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, being two or three times as expensive as other high quality microlots of coffee.

This coffee cultivar, gesha, is originally of Ethiopian origin. Those familiar with this blog and those coffees, know that these beans can produce some very exotic fruit and flower tastes. Combine that with the terroir of Central America, and you have an unusual coffee. It has great acidity, and incredibly powerful aromas of wildflowers and tropical fruits.

This time around I started with the "cheaper" lot, a mere $10 or so a pound. This is a coffee you definitely want nowhere near second crack, so I decided to ramp up slowly to first crack. Here is the profile:

The result was a rare "wow" reaction after trying this 12 hours post-roast in a vacuum pot. From the moment you grind this stuff, it just fills the room with intense jasmine and exotic flower aromas. In the cup, it is juicy, juicy, juicy. Great acidity, tons of clean tropical fruit, and caramel. The finish is unique; there is a menthol/cooling sensation going on, perhaps citrus zest or something similar. Awesome stuff.

If there is any drawback at all, I feel this coffee fades faster than others. On subsequent days, the flowery notes fade and the caramel tones come more front and center. Still enjoyable, but not as legendary as the first day.

I was really happy with this roast; it will be a good starting point when I eventually get around to roasting the more expensive sister lot I have.