A Brief History of Panama Boquete Elida Estate Natural Typica Specialty Coffee Beans: Origins, Development, Culture

Over half of Elida Estate's area lies within the Panama National Park's reserve zone. It is a rare high-altitude estate in Central America, cultivating coffee at elevations ranging from 1,700 to nearly 2,000 meters based on terrain feasibility. Renowned for its principal flavor profile characterized by richness and umami.

Elida Estate belongs to owner Wilford Lamastus. This estate cultivates three varieties including Typica, Geisha, and Catuai, with the nursery area nurturing seedlings of these varieties. The journey to the estate is beautiful, and at 1,700 meters elevation, the air becomes crisp and cold—like walking through high mountains while enjoying a forest bath and breathing very fresh, clean air. The estate's terrain at 2,000 meters is steep and rugged, but after crossing the ridge line to reach the saddle area, one discovers flat, open ground that can shelter against the howling mountain winds. Wilford says this is the perfect place to grow Geisha!

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Boquete Elida Estate Natural Typica

Flavor Description: Rich tropical fruits, strawberry aroma, black plum, apricot, peach, longan, with intense fruity wine notes.

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Coffee Bean State: Roasted beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Panama

Roast Level: Medium roast

Panama Boquete Elida Typica Natural

Country: Panama

Grade: SHB

Region: Boquete

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Typica

Flavor: Rich tropical fruits, strawberry aroma, black plum

The Volcanic Terroir

Baru is a young volcano exceeding 3,400 meters in elevation and is an active volcano. Its surroundings feature seven different microclimate zones, fostering a rich and diverse ecosystem. The diverse microclimates present both advantages and disadvantages for coffee cultivation. However, in Elida's case, its flavor is more intense and aromatic than most Panama coffees, with black berry aftertaste and complex texture becoming the primary reasons why connoisseurs adore it.

High-Altitude Challenges

However, high-altitude terrain also has drawbacks. For Elida, the average elevation for coffee cultivation exceeds 1,700 meters. The high altitude combined with cool nighttime temperatures means coffee plants take five years after planting before they can be harvested, making the waiting period extremely long. Once in the harvesting season, coffee ripening often extends beyond a month. If adverse weather occurs before ripening—such as typhoons or heavy rains—despite knowing it will cause significant losses, the unripe beans cannot be prematurely harvested due to quality standards. This commitment to quality often results in sharply reduced yields, making the risk much greater than for low-altitude estates.

Awards and Recognition

Since 2006, Elida's select batches have consistently ranked among Panama's winning lots, with prices increasing year by year. Among Central American estates, Elida should be considered the one with the most prominent "Kenyan black berry notes." Its black berry and persistent complex fruit flavors often leave people full of praise. Judges are also drawn to Elida's unique "umami" quality. This term comes from "Umami," which many experts now include as the fifth basic taste (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami). The effect of umami is similar to monosodium glutamate, enhancing freshness or found in foods used for making stocks, such as dried shiitake mushrooms, aged cheese, and kombu, where umami presence can be detected. The umami in coffee is related to good "aftertaste"—for example, a longer and pleasant sensation after sipping all belong to the experience of savory flavors.

Processing Excellence

The equipment, utensils, and processing steps at Elida's processing facility are all meticulously crafted. Generally, when coffee cherries reach a certain stage in post-processing, if their moisture content exceeds 20% for extended periods, not only can the high-quality components within the coffee cherries easily be lost, but there's also the possibility of off-flavors developing. Additionally, since Elida's processing facility remains at high elevation, it has dedicated processing equipment to control temperature and timing during drying. All of this must be controlled perfectly and represents crucial steps affecting quality.

About This Batch

This batch of FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Estate coffee uses natural processing method and is the classic Typica variety.

Typica: The oldest native variety from Ethiopia, grown in southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan. All Arabica varieties derive from Typica. It offers elegant flavor but has weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low fruit yield. Excellent estate coffees such as FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Washed Blue Mountain No. 1, FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia Sumatra Lintong Mandheling, and FrontStreet Coffee's Hawaii Kona all belong to the Typica variety. Typica has bronze-colored young leaves, called red-topped coffee, and belongs to the Arabica species.

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