Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491377
STiR tea & coffee industry international 55 CHURCHILL, Manitoba Willem Boot is watching for polar bears, sipping his superb La Mula Geisha and explaining that no one really knows how many coffee cultivars exist in Ethiopia – certainly thousands upon thousands. It's November on the edge of Hudson Bay. The Tundra Buggy in which we are riding has plenty of hot water that would quickly freeze if spilled outside the cab. Boot makes geisha pour overs wherever he travels because when Boot says he fell for Geisha – it was head over heels. This is the story of adventure, mishaps and serendipity during the decade Boot devoted to finding the mother of Panama Geisha – and how Dr. Sarada Krishnan proved he was right. Botanical treasure Boot first experienced the rapture of high grown geisha in 2004 as a professional cupper during the now famous "Best of Panama" competition. Price Peterson, who owns Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, in the highlands of Chiriqui, submitted a little known varietal that year that professional cupper Don Holly called "God in a Cup." Boot scored the coffee at 98 on the 100-point Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) cup quality scale – his top award ever – and amazingly 14 of the 15 judges gave it "super high" scores as well. No one in the group had tasted anything as memorable as the floral Esmeralda Special (Geisha), recalls Boot. Gei- sha varietals went on to win the Best of Panama competition for the next decade. Esmeralda won in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010 and received top recognition at several consecutive SCAA convention cuppings. Media coverage was extensive and effusive. New York Times reporter Mi- chaele Weissman even wrote a 2008 book titled "God in a Cup." The exposure drove auction prices higher with every season. At a time when coffee was selling for 48 cents a pound the Esmeralda was auctioned for an unheard of price of $21 per pound. By 2006 the price had more than doubled and would peak at $350 per pound in years to come. Willem Boot during his first expedition into the wild coffee forest near the town of Gesha. The Quest Photos by Adam Overton In 2006 Boot established Finca La Mula on the side of the Baru Volcano, eventually planting 6,000 Geisha trees on steep wooded slopes at 1,700 to 1,800 feet. Last year geishas again won every top award. This time La Mula came out on top. In recent years La Mula has lived up to its name*, earning $107 per pound. It retails for $37.50 for 150 grams. Esmeralda's first lot was small, only 3,000 pounds of coffee harvested from several areas on the farm. These would later become distinct brands: Esmeralda Special, Canas Verdes, Jaramillo, and Boquete. Once word got out of riches to be made several Boquete growers located mature geisha trees on their prop- erty and quickly planted more. In a few years they were grossing $5,000 to $25,000 for 150- to 250-pound lots mar- keted as Elida Estate Geisha, Los Lajones Bambu Geisha, Las Brujas Kotowa, Ironman Geisha, Altieri Geisha, Carmen Geisha, Mama Cata Geisha and Geisha Rojas. Panama's an- nual geisha crop is now estimated at more than 150,000 kilos. *Moola or moolah are slang terms for money (pronounced moo′la)