Hacienda La Esmeralda Natural Gesha Buenos Aires Lot, Panama

From Hacienda La Esmeralda — the reference point for Gesha.

At Best of Panama 2025, Esmeralda once again defined the top of the category:
98.00 points for Washed Gesha and 97.00 points for Natural. Two historic results, confirmed by an international panel of 22 judges.

The coffees produced by Rachel Peterson and her family are truly astounding and we are fortunate to be able to share a few different of their top scoring micro lots.

Buenos Aires Natural Gesha is a pure expression of Boquete terroir.

Taste description: Delicate florals lead the cup, with cherry blossom and jasmine on the nose. The sweetness moves toward ripe strawberry, mango, and juicy red apple, with a candy-like note recalling Jolly Rancher. Hibiscus adds lift while concord grape brings depth and shape. The body feels silky, the acidity leans malic and clear, and the finish stays bright and sparkling with long, clean length.

Story: High in the misty mountains of Panama, Hacienda La Esmeralda has spent decades shaping what Gesha coffee can be. Meticulous farming, volcanic soils, and a singular microclimate — crowned once again at Best of Panama 2025.

• Variety: Gesha
• Country: Panama
• Region: Boquete, Panama
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1700 MSL
• Producer: Hacienda La Esmeralda
• Farm: Buenos Aires

Process: Natural processing. Slow drying under controlled airflow for 25 days.

Our story:  I still remember the first time I tasted a coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda years ago. It didn’t shout. It didn’t try to impress. It just sat there, calm and exact, and quietly reset my understanding of what Gesha could be. That feeling comes back every time we work with their coffees, and Buenos Aires Natural Gesha is one of those rare lots where everything lines up at once. The place, the year, the decisions made at the farm, and the restraint to let the coffee speak without interference.

This is why it’s nearly impossible to get. Esmeralda doesn’t chase volume. They focus on tiny plots, specific pickings, and drying that takes as long as it needs, not as long as the market allows. At Best of Panama 2025, the results spoke clearly. 98 points for Washed Gesha. 97 points for Natural. Not by chance. Not by hype. By repetition, patience, and an almost stubborn commitment to detail that very few farms in the world can maintain year after year.

Buenos Aires is a pure expression of Boquete. You smell cherry blossom first, soft and lifted. Then the cup opens into ripe strawberry and mango, followed by hibiscus brightness and a darker grape depth that gives the coffee length rather than weight. The natural process adds sweetness and silk without blurring the structure. It stays precise from start to finish, with a sparkling malic acidity and a finish that keeps unfolding long after the cup is empty.

What makes this a rage gem isn’t just the score or the name. It’s the fact that coffees like this are the result of decades of work, and only a handful of people ever get access to them. When we share a coffee like this, it’s not about having something rare for the sake of rarity. It’s about offering a reference point. This is what Gesha can be when nothing is rushed and nothing is compromised.

/ Alexander

Always fresh: This item contains 100 grams or 1kg of whole beans, roasted, packed, and shipped on demand for maximum freshness.