Understanding Geisha Coffee

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 14:00:00 -0800

Geisha is the variety people mean when they talk about a coffee that tastes like tea and costs like wine. Most of the reputation is deserved. Some of it is auction theatre. Here is what’s underneath it.

Where it comes from

The variety, spelled Geisha or Gesha depending on who is selling it, originated in the Gori Gesha forest in Ethiopia, where it grew wild before anyone was propagating it deliberately. It is genetically distinct from most other arabica varieties, and that distinctiveness is the reason it keeps its character across very different growing regions. A Gesha grown in Panama still tastes recognisably like Gesha.

Geisha on Midnight Bloom Coffee

Understanding Geisha Coffee

Where it comes from