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The Story and Origins of Panama Boquete "Mariposa" Specialty Coffee Beans with 70% Gesha

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange - follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style) In the Boquete region, there exists a particularly cost-effective bean with a beautiful name: Mariposa. It possesses 40% of Gesha's noble heritage, composed of three varieties: Gesha, Caturra, and Catuai. Cultivated in the Baru volcanic area of Boquete, it grows at an elevation of 1,600 meters.

Introduction to Panama Boquete "Mariposa" Coffee

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In the Boquete region, there exists a coffee bean with exceptional value for money, bearing a beautiful name — Mariposa (Butterfly). It possesses 40% Geisha heritage and is composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. Cultivated in the Baru Volcano area of Boquete at an altitude of 1,600 meters, the processing plant employs meticulous washed processing. Panama's special microclimate results in abundant rainfall in this region, significant day-night temperature variations, unique volcanic rock soil from the volcanic area, combined with careful harvesting and refined processing, making this coffee excel remarkably in body, acidity, and floral notes.

Pour-over Brewing Guide

Pour-over Mariposa: 15g coffee, medium grind (Fuji Royal grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops halfway, then continue slow pouring until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Specifications

Country: Panama
Grade: SHB
Region: Boquete
Roast Level: Medium roast
Processing Method: Washed
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Geisha

The Boquete Region

Panama coffee is famous for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the region where this estate is located is also quite renowned — the Boquete region in Chiriqui province. Boquete is a town in Chiriqui province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its beautiful scenery, fertile and rich soil, the climate and soil are exceptionally suitable for producing high-quality coffee.

Within the Boquete region, there are many excellent estates. Besides the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, there are also renowned estates like Elida Estate and Kotowa Estate, all producing premium specialty coffee. This is not only due to the superior ecological conditions of Panama's Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru Volcano area. There is also an important factor: the microclimate present in the highlands of Boquete is a unique and vital resource for the region's specialty coffee. Panama's east-to-west environmental pattern causes cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the central mountains, creating various microclimates in the Boquete area. This makes the temperature and rainfall extremely suitable for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here thrive exceptionally well.

Value and Discovery

In such a privileged growing environment as Boquete, there naturally exists more than just the Geisha from La Esmeralda — a coffee king with extraordinary flavor, quality, and value. However, drinking Geisha daily is quite luxurious, and even if financially feasible, indulging in delicacies like shark fin and bear paw daily isn't quite right either. The same applies to coffee — broad exploration enhances the pleasure of savoring coffee.

Panama is a Central American country, bordering Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Those familiar with single-origin coffee should know that Panama coffee is renowned in the coffee world for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda. It can be described as a country that pursues excellence in coffee and produces high-quality coffee beans.

Flavor: Tea aroma, honey, berries, classic Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha taste.

Exceptional Value and Composition

What's even more surprising is that on top of its excellent quality, its very approachable price makes this coffee bean offer exceptional value. The specialty of this coffee bean lies in its composition of three varieties, with 40% being Geisha, giving this coffee distinct Geisha characteristics. According to research data, due to the estate's historical reasons, when pursuing yield in earlier times, early Geisha varieties were mixed and planted together with Caturra and Catuai variety coffee trees. For convenient harvesting, coffee farmers didn't reclassify them but processed all three varieties together directly. Later, after Geisha rose to fame and prices soared, the processing plant began applying refined washed processing to such coffee beans.

Washed Processing Method

There are many washed processing methods today, but generally, after coffee cherries are harvested, floating beans are removed, then the pulp is removed, and coffee beans are soaked in fermentation tanks. Enzymes in the water soften the mucilage attached to the parchment's inner skin, while natural yeast breaks down the sugars in the mucilage — this process is called fermentation. After fermentation completes, coffee beans are moved to drying patios to sun-dry. During drying, coffee beans must be constantly turned to ensure even drying. Finally, they are stored with parchment in warehouses, and only after green bean merchants place orders are they hulled and bagged. Coffee processed this way has a clean taste, emphasizing bright, lively fruit acidity, along with clear fruit flavors and floral notes.

Cupping Experience

Therefore, one can imagine that with Mariposa's varietal superiority combined with refined processing methods, if completed with medium-light roast to determine the final flavor direction, you will surely give immense approval to this Mariposa that possesses Geisha's characteristic floral notes, Southeast Asian fruits, berry flavors, and has honey-like sweetness and smoothness, with very persistent aroma and aftertaste.

Cupping Notes:

Fragrance (Dry Aroma): Jasmine, citrus, tea aroma, honey

Aroma (Wet Aroma): Berries, floral, buttery, vanilla, citrus

Flavor: Juice sweetness, delicate and non-aggressive acidity, excellent cleanliness, bergamot, honey, citrus, spice, floral, berries, tea aroma, cherry, delicate aftertaste, persistent aroma, classic Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha flavor.

Taste Description: Jasmine floral, citrus, tea aroma, honey, berries, vanilla, bright acidity! Mariposa containing Geisha variety is an extremely high-value specialty coffee bean!