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Beans: Finca La Mimada, Geisha, Honey naked, Santa Clara, Panama.
Shop: Mentiritas Blancas, Panama City, Panama.
Mentiritas Blancas – Geisha White Nacre: Background information.
It has been several years since I first visited Mentiritas Blancas, seller of the Geisha White Nacre, in Panama City. It was due to a friend of mine in Panama who pointed out that this was the place to be, and he didn’t lie.
Mentiritas Blancas is a coffeeshop that caters to everybody: passers by, regular customers and tourists. Not only do they serve great coffee, they also have great tea and food.
Finca La Mimada is part of Santos Cafe in Panama. Santos Café Panamá has an extension of 55 hectares of plantations blended in volcanic soil and native shadow. The altitude goes from 1,100m up to 1,400m above sea level. On their land they grow a blend of caturra and catui as 80% of their production. In the lot of La Mimada, they have Pacamara, Caturra, Yellow Bourbon and Geisha and you could encounter temperatures that goes bellow 13ºC. This farm is highly helped by wide grown shade, investing on their temperature variations for a more sweet and bright cup.
All beans from La Mimada are dried on african beds, under the sun with a slow dry that takes 20 to 28 days. Process varies from Wash, Honey, Natural and extended fermentation.
Opening the package.
The package of Mentiritas Blancas is a beige carton bag with a ziplock and degassing valve. The package has a label attached to the front where upon you will find information about the coffee and a little art. In this case, the package shows red coffee cherries and white coffee blossom plus the name: Geisha White Nacre. The information states the varietal, the process, growing altitude, origin of the beans, the producers name, tasting notes, a recipe for brewing and the roasting date.
All the information you need is on the label and it makes for easy pickings when you don’t yet know what to buy.
When opening the package you will see evenly roasted beans that have no defects inside them. This is always a great start since defects will ruin your brew over and over. When opening this package, a soft lemony and floral note pops up as well as a hazelnut note. Eating a bean is delicious; it’s crispy, salty and tastes like peach, oolong tea and has, yet again, that lemony flavour to it. I cant wait to brew this one!
Geisha White Nacre: The Tasting.
I brewed the Geisha White Nacre on the Aeropress, V60 and Clever Dripper. The V60 gave off the best results as in a clean cup with excellent notes. Since the notes of this Geisha are floral and that of stonefruit, I take care to get the best out of those notes.
As I brew the coffee a soft green oolong tea and white blossom make their way in my nose. The notes of peach and bergamot also appear, but only after I was done pouring. If your take in the aroma gently, a waft of honey can be perceived as well.
When taking that first sip, I always slurp oxygen inside to disperse the particles in my mouth. Aloe and bergamot are right there at the forefront and are carried by a note of lemon grass. These notes will stay with you throughout the tasting. If you focus on the mouthfeel and the acidity, you will find a silky mouthfeel, no bitterness and a citric acidity. It all go’s so well with the notes.
By now, the coffee has cooled off a little and clear notes of peach, jasmin and white blossom appear. Slurping oxygen inside your mouth will only enhance the white blossom note and as you swallow new notes appear in the back of your mouth. There isa hint of cocoa, cookie spices and a green apple mouthfeel. What a light feathered, smooth coffee this is!
The Verdict.
The Geisha White Nacre is a real summer Geisha and Mentiritas Blancas got everything out of the bean if you ask me. The clear floral and fruity notes all fit together in harmony. Oolong tea, Jasmin, white blossom in combination with peach and a hint of honey. This is exactly what I love to drink in my garden when the sun is out. Note how there is no bitterness on the coffee, not even when it’s cooled down. The acidity changes from citric to malic and the aftertaste lingers medium long. All in all this is a splendid roasted coffee and certainly one I would order if I was at Mentiritas Blancas. Great Roast, great coffee!