Blind Assessment: Bold, sweetly spice-toned. Molasses, hazelnut, cedar, persimmon, orange blossom in aroma and cup. Mild, balanced acidity; plush, creamy mouthfeel. The gently drying finish offers notes of cedar and orange blossom in the short, consolidating to hazelnut in the long.

Notes: El Burro Estate is an award-winning coffee farm owned by the Lamastus family in Panama’s famous Boquete growing region. With its bold, boat-shaped beans and distinctive floral and crisply cacao-toned cup, the Gesha (also Geisha) variety of Arabica continues to produce some of the world’s most unique coffees. This is a wet-processed or “washed” version, meaning that the fruit skin and pulp were removed before drying. This coffee tied for the fourth-highest rating in a tasting of holiday coffees for Coffee Review‘s December 2016 tasting report. Geisha Coffee Roaster is a Florida based Internet retailer offering a wide assortment of coffee from around the world. The company has deep family ties to coffee farms in Panama, including the farm that produced this coffee. However, the company name should not be confused with the Geisha or Gesha coffee variety, the particularly costly, distinguished variety of Arabica also associated with Panama and represented by this sample. Visit www.geishacoffee.com or call 407-409-8704 for more information.

The Bottom Line: An unusual Gesha, more nut-toned than floral, hearty rather than delicate, likely to particularly appeal to those who prefer a slightly darker-roasted presentation of this celebrated coffee variety.