Caravans relationship with Jamison and Finca Deborah began in 2015 on our first visit to Panama. One of our early releases from Panama came from Jamisons second farm Morgan Estate. The quality and consistency of the washed Geisha from this Finca was responsible for piquing our interest and inspiring us to look a little closer at this unique origin.

Located at an unusually high altitude of 1920 masl in dense rainforest on the Costa Rican/Panamanian border, the finca spans three steep ridges of land that were discovered whilst hiking by Jamison. The property covers 20 hectares and is only accessible by a purpose built 1 km road that rises a dramatic 400 m over its length. Over the course of nearly 10 years critical pieces of infrastructure have been built to facilitate the world class coffee that Jamison has planned on growing. A weather station and quality control lab built to CQI spec were completed in 2014 and 2015 respectively, just in time to cup the first critical harvests from the first plantings of Geisha in 2010. In addition, water and power solutions are sourced independently via solar panels and an artesian well, making this a truly off grid and sustainable operation.

The exceptionally steep topography is planted with 40,000 geisha plants of varying ages. Due to the three ridges that divide the farm into sections, Jamison has three unique and different micro climates to work with. Whilst the production stages of Finca Deborah is in its infancy plans are afoot to separate and grade the plantings from each of the ridges individually as they will each potentially yield dramatically different cup profiles to one another. 2018 has seen Jamison achieve further success on the world coffee stage with the reigning Slovakian Brewers Cup champion, Veronika Galova Vesela, placing 4th with the unique and intensely floral Carbonica Maceration process.

Both of the coffees presented in this twin pack are excellent representations of the versatility and quality of the geisha varietal.

Geisha Bliss

Washed Process

The abundance of clean, fresh spring water from the natural springs and brooks in Panamas dense cloud forests lend themselves ideally to the production of fully washed coffees. A resource that is used to remarkable effect on Jamisons finca.

Cherry is passed through a de pulper, a simple machine which uses fresh water and large rotating burrs to separate the coffee from the fruit. Once this separation is complete the freshly hulled coffee is placed into tanks of clean water for a fermentation stage that can last for anything up to 24 hours. This fermentation process is critical in cleaning the coffee and results in the removal of any additional sugars and fruit that the pulping stage missed. A quick round of rinsing after fermentation ensures that the coffee is now clean and ready to be laid out to dry.

Geisha Amenity

Carbonic Maceration

Carbonic maceration is a fermentation technique that has gained some notoriety over the past few years. Jamison has received widespread global acclaim and awards for his application of this traditional wine making technique to coffee and has seen his coffee routinely being used in the finals at the WBC and placing first in 2016.

This process differs from fully washed coffee with the addition of a complex fermentation stage. Pulped coffee is added to a stainless steel, sealable container which instead of using water to separate the coffee from the air, carbon dioxide is pumped in, slowing down the break down of sugars whilst dropping the ph of the coffee. This enables skilled producers to extend the fermentation time of the coffee by 3 days; creating a sweeter more complex final cup.

BREWING GUIDE 

Experimentation and fun are the key to unlocking and enjoying what these coffees and cascara have to offer. A general, tried and tested ratio of 60g of coffee to 1 litre of water is a great starting point, as is using your favourite brewing device. Be it Chemex, Aeropress, V-60 or something else entirely different, there are no wrong or right answers when it comes to brewing, drinking and enjoying great coffee. By keeping your brewing simple, familiar and consistent we’re sure that you will receive great results from this truly exceptional offer. Happy drinking!