Founder Selection X324-260220 Experimental by Ninety Plus Gesha Estates, Panama

Why we selected it

Some coffees earn their place through immediate impact. Others reveal their quality through the precision of every detail. This Founder Selection lot from Ninety Plus and the producer Joseph Brodsky brings both together: a striking aromatic profile, a silky mouthfeel and an elegance that holds the whole experience in balance.

One of the finest coffees we have ever selected for Standout Coffee, Lot 260220 is a release for those who seek something truly distinctive.

Why this coffee is significant

Between 2014 and 2019, Ninety Plus coffees were selected by five World Brewers Cup champions for their winning routines — including four consecutive titles from 2014 to 2017.

This lot represents an exceptional selection from Gesha Estates in Chiriquí, Panama.

Some of the world's most experimental coffees come from an estate built around bringing a forest back to life.

Its character is unusually specific. Persian pickled lime and frankincense create a cup that reaches beyond familiar fruit and floral notes, bringing preserved citrus and resinous aromatics into an elegant, finely structured expression.

The cup experience

Persian pickled lime gives the cup its vivid citrus character: bright, aromatic and evocative of preserved lime rather than straightforward fresh citrus. Frankincense brings a resinous aromatic depth that extends into the finish.

The mouthfeel is silky, with an elegant structure that allows these distinctive flavours to remain clearly defined. Expect a coffee whose intensity comes through its aromatics and precision, inviting you to slow down and follow the cup as it cools.

Producer and place

When Joseph Brodsky established Ninety Plus Gesha Estates in Panama in 2009, much of the land had previously been cleared for cattle grazing.

Rather than simply planting coffee, he began restoring the forest, introducing native trees and cultivating Gesha at low density beneath the developing canopy.

Today, the estate brings together ecological restoration, careful cultivation and some of the most experimental coffee processing in the world.

This coffee was harvested at Gesha Estates in Chiriquí, Panama, on 20 February 2026.

Selected as part of the Ninety Plus Founder Selection, it offers a particularly distinctive expression of the estate's experimental work.

Processing and its effect on the cup

Lot A was processed using X324, an experimental Ninety Plus process. The name records its origin: the first coffee made using this method was the third coffee they processed in 2024.

Ninety Plus describes coffees from X324 as generally silky in mouthfeel and elegant in structure. Here, those qualities provide the foundation for bright preserved citrus and a resinous, aromatic finish.

Double Bloom brewing recipe

Suggested starting recipe for roast validation.

Use a V60 with a rinsed paper filter.

• Coffee: 15 g

• Water: 250 g

• Temperature: 92°C

• Grind: Medium, slightly coarser than your usual V60 setting

• Target brew time: 2:30–3:00

• Intended expression: Clear preserved citrus, defined resinous aromatics and a silky finish

First bloom: Pour to 30 g and allow the coffee to bloom until 0:30.

Second bloom: Pour to 60 g total and wait until 1:00.

Main pour: Pour gently to 150 g, finishing around 1:30.

Final pour: Begin around 1:45 and pour to 250 g. Allow the brewer to drain with minimal additional agitation.

Why these brewing choices suit the coffee

The moderate temperature and gentle pours are intended to preserve aromatic definition while keeping the citrus character balanced. A slightly coarser grind provides a starting point for a cup with clarity and a smooth finish.

The two bloom stages allow time for the coffee to wet evenly and release gas before the main extraction. If the cup tastes sharp or thin, grind slightly finer. If the finish becomes dry or the aromatics feel muted, try a slightly coarser setting.

Our recommendation

Choose Lot 260220 for an aromatic experience that feels rare even within exceptional coffee. Its preserved-lime brightness, frankincense character and silky structure make it a release to explore slowly, with particular attention to how the flavours unfold as the temperature falls.

Coffee details

• Selection: Ninety Plus Founder Selection

• Lot: 260220

• Producer: Joseph Brodsky
  

• Estate: Gesha Estates

• Region: Chiriquí

• Country: Panama

• Harvest date: 20 February 2026

• Process: X324 experimental

• Tasting notes: Persian pickled lime, frankincense

• Cup character: Silky mouthfeel, elegant structure, bright preserved citrus and a resinous aromatic finish