The Story of the Geisha

THE GEISHA

Some call it geisha, others gesha...for forty years , before this varietal became famous, it has been called geisha in Boquete, Panama.

Thanks to Jeff Taylor of PT's for this great photo of a geisha tree

Catuai to the left, Geisha to the right

In the above photo you can appreciate the general differences in appearance between a catuai and geisha tree, the geisha growing taller and having the look of a Typica. There is also clearly less foliage on the geisha. In the bottom photo you can see the longer distance between the nodes as well as the diminished production of fruit. In addition, the fruit on the geisha is larger than the fruit of the catuai.

We have, with the help of Jean-Pierre Labouisse, a coffee breeder of CIRAD, France, posted at Jimma Agricultural Research Center, Ethiopia, under the EU funded Coffee Improvement Programme, tried to track the history of the Geisha. From the following documents, among others, he established the approximate historical chronology for the Geisha of Panama:

Ethiopia (1931), Kenya (1931-32), Tanzania (1936), Costa Rica (1953), Panama (?)

Among the information provided to us was was document from : Millor F., 1969, Inventory of the coffee varieties and selections imported into and growing within East-Africa which was as follows:

Geisha = Abyssinian

“Seeds were imported from Geisha forest, S.W. Abyssinia, in about 1931. 50 to 70 inches rainfall at altitude of 5500 to 6500 feet. Long drooping primaries, prolific secondary growth, small narrow leaves and bronze tips. “(Blore’s notes)

Planted out at Kitale (Kenya) from where Geisha 1, Geisha 9, Geisha 10, Geisha 11, Geisha 12 were selected

Kawanda (Uganda) received seeds from Kenya, and “Abyssinian 1” and “Abyssinian 2” (different shape of beans) were planted out in 1936 in the old museum (12 trees of each).

Seedlings were also planted out at Lyamungu (Tanzania) in a variety collection (Ref. VC 496-500). VC 496 and VC 497 have been used in 1953 hybrids. Seeds of “Geisha Lyamungu” were sent to Ruiru.

It is not a high-yielding variety; it has often an undesirable type of bean (long and thin) and generally a liquor of poor quality, but, because of its resistance to leaf-rust, it has been used for hybridizations.

Another, earlier expedition titled FAO Mission to Ethiopia 1964-1965 by F.G. Meyer, L.M. Fernie, R.L. Narasimhaswamy, L.C. Monaco, D.J. Greathead. , FAO Roma 1968 provided the following excerpt:

Page 101 to 103

December 17: Meyer, Narasimhaswamy, and Ato Makonnen from the Coffee Board departed Jimma by plane at 10.00 a.m., arrived Mizan Teferi airstrip, Kaffa province at 11.10 a.m. A broad, green valley opens out to the South with verdant mountains up to 8,000 ft. altitude immediately to the east. The soil appears to be fertile and coffee is extensively cultivated locally. Went by Jeep to Mizan Teferi town, located 7 km. East of the airstrip, to see Ato Sayome, the governor, who offered every facility at his command. Discussed plans for a trip to collect coffee on remote Geisha Mountain, south West of Mizan, a place several days away by foot. Interest in Geisha Mountain was based upon knowledge of an early series of coffee collections made in 1936 by the British Consul then stationed at Maji and sent to Kenya. Since then Geisha coffee has been esteemed as a parent in breeding work for rust resistance at the coffee research station at Lyamungu in Tanzania.

December 19: Departed Mizan Teferi airstrip at 10.50 a.m. for Geisha Mountain, with seven mules, two local police, the vice-governor, his son and various helpers, eighteen persons in all. Weather fair and hot at midday. Traveled by trail through farmed and cut-over country along east side of valley. The inhabitants of the area consist of Ghimira people of Galla extraction. The food crops observed were sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), yam (Dioscorea sp.), taro (Colocasia esculenta), sorghum, maize and enset (Ensete ventricosum). Coffee is grown in small quantities around tukles (round Ethiopian houses), but the crop is of local importance only. Stopped at Debre Werk village, elev. 4,400 ft. (1,340 m.), to observe coffee planted around houses in the village. The topography beyond Debre Werk is more rolling, although the hills are not above an elevation of 6,000 ft. (1,830 m.). Stopped at Bolku to observe and collect material of coffee growing around a single tukle. The man of the house was engaged in smoking a curiously constructed water pipe from a sitting position. Tobacco is grown to some extent around dwellings, but smoking is not common outside the larger towns. Stopped for the night at Benessa in the compound of the local landlord, Shamtit Shashintit, whose domain extends for many miles in all directions. Shortly after our arrival his lordship appeared on horseback with an entourage of servants and gun bearers numbering perhaps 30 persons. The team was welcomed and invited to spend the night as occupants of one of the giant tukles in the compound.

December 20: Continued toward Geisha Mountain at 11:00 a.m. after the rains had cleared. The trail beyond Benessa was heavily overgrown and barely passable on mule-back. No houses were seen after Benessa. The chief obstacle before Geisha Mountain is the broad valley of the Berber Uaha River. This valley consists mainly of savanna country and is entirely uninhabited. Reached the river at 5.00 p.m., elev. 3,020 ft. (920 m.) and camped for the night. A lush gallery forest borders the river, with mostly unfamiliar low elevation species, and with an abundance of Rubiaceae, but no Coffea. Hippos were plentiful in the river, but the area otherwise was desolate. The green hills in the distance beckoned, but to reach them according to our guides, would require a trek of at least another two days. As Narasimhaswamy was scheduled to leave Ethiopia shortly after 25 December, any plans for reaching Geisha Mountain were abandoned. Two days had already been spent reaching the present position, and only eight days had been allotted to this particular safari. To counter-balance this disappointment, the Mission was presented later with seeds of semi-wild coffee collected by runners sent specially to Geisha Mountain by Bolton and Fernie during their trip to the Maji area in early December.

P109

ITINERARY OF L.M. FERNIE AND FLOYD BOLTON

December 5: Returned to Jimma by air. Arrangements were made with His Excellency the Governor of Maji and Mr. Harold Kurtz of the American Mission to have messengers sent to some other areas farther afield in the Maji area for the purpose of collecting coffee seeds. Good samples were obtained in this way from Tui, Geisha Mountain, Gorei (Barda), Beru, Giaba, and Gai.

P 159

FAO Number: E 124 : Random sample from plants allegedly spontaneous in the forest. Geisha Mountain; 50-60 km. north of Maji, elev 6,000 ft. (1,830m), 6º38' N., 35º30' E., Maji Sub province, Kaffa province. Sample obtained by runners employed to collect seeds from this place. 10 December 1964.

Date of collection:

•According to Blore cited by Miller 1931.

•According to FAO mission report, 1936 by the British Consul.

•The seeds were collected in bulk from different trees.

•Then seeds exported to Kitale Center, Kenya under both names of Abyssinian and Geisha .
•From Kenya, progenies have been planted in Kawanda station, Uganda in
1936 and in Lyamungu station, Tanzania (according to Millor).

•So the date 1931 for the collecting seems the most realistic.

•The "Geisha" of CATIE, Costa Rica has been introduced at different times
from different countries. The first introduction (under the accession T02722) was in July
1953 as a progeny of the tree (VC496) from Lyamungu (according to CATIE database).
•The original tree still existed recently in Lyamungu (according to Charmetant). The other
introductions probably also derives from this original VC496.

So :

•Ethiopia (1931), •Kenya (1931-32), •Tanzania (1936), •Costa Rica (1953), •Panama (?) could be a possible chronology for the Geisha of Panama.