In 2019, husband and wife Isabel and Sergio Ticas planted several thousand geisha plants on a hill called El Mirador, with fantastic views of Tamales and Matazano. Solberg & Hansen has had the pleasure of buying both the very first batch of coffee beans from these plants in 2023, and now also the second batch one year later.
Together with Sergio and Isabel, we've been able to follow the journey from the geisha plant's first sprout to ripe red berries, and we've visited the geisha plantation at Los Planes several times. At El Mirador, 1900 meters above sea level, the geisha trees have developed slowly in the shade of pine trees, with the clean air and unique microclimate giving the bean its characteristic fruitiness and delicate floral aromas.
When the berries ripen, they are carefully handpicked before being placed on raised beds to dry. The whole process is carefully monitored to safeguard the taste and quality of the coffee. As with the first harvest, this year's berries were dried with both skin and pulp for 30 days, resulting in a complex flavor that reflects both the passion of the coffee farmers and the character of the landscape.
It is with great pleasure that we can offer the second geisha batch from El Mirador, a result of many years of patient work and love for coffee cultivation.
Coffee pioneers and enthusiasts
Over 20 years ago, Sergio Ticas took over a small farm in the mountainous region of Chalatenango and, together with his wife Isabel, began growing coffee in an area that was not at all associated with quality. Therefore, more than one coffee enthusiast's eyebrow was raised when Finca Los Planes came second in the 2006 edition of the Cup of Excellence.
Sergio and Isabel's efforts are a direct reason why coffee from the Chalatenango region is now a sought-after commodity in the specialty coffee market. Here, it was the Ticas family themselves who planted the Pacamara, Bourbon and Gul Caturra beans in the mid-90s, and now Geisha.
At the family's own processing mill, the coffee is wet-processed with fresh water from local sources, while a ratio of one coffee tree per shade tree ensures healthy and sustainable biodiversity. Among the coffee berries and shade trees on the farm, deer, ducks and many rare bird species roam. The Ticas family does much more than grow premium coffee, contributing funds to the local community's school, health care and football club.
Geisha - "the champagne of the coffee world"
El Mirador - Geisha is a fresh and complex coffee, with citrus notes and flavors of raspberry and caramel. This is a more fruity geisha as it is berry-dried.
Geisha is a rare and relatively young bean type that is highly sought after. Many consider it to be the most interesting in the coffee world in terms of flavor intensity and complexity.
The plant first came to Costa Rica from the small town of Geisha in southwestern Ethiopia. In recent years, this variety has become very popular in Panama, and it is this country that has made Geisha famous.
The plant grows taller than other coffee bushes and has long, narrow leaves and berries. In the cup, the bean type is characterized by a very clean sweetness, often with hints of berries and stone fruits and a fresh finish characterized by bergamot.