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Is Panama Elida Coffee Delicious? Panama Coffee Brewing Methods

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Baru is a young volcano with an altitude exceeding 3,400 meters, classified as an active volcano. The surrounding area features seven different microclimate zones, fostering a rich and diverse ecosystem. The diverse microclimates present both advantages and disadvantages for coffee cultivation.

Introduction to Elida Estate

Baru is a young volcano with an altitude exceeding 3,400 meters. It is an active volcano surrounded by seven different microclimate zones, fostering a rich and diverse ecosystem. The diverse microclimates present both advantages and disadvantages for coffee cultivation. However, in the case of Elida, her flavor profile is more intense and aromatic than most Panamanian beans. The black berry aftertaste and varied texture make her extremely popular among coffee connoisseurs.

High Altitude Challenges

However, high altitude terrain also has drawbacks. For example, Elida grows coffee at an average altitude exceeding 1,700 meters. The high elevation combined with low nighttime temperatures means that coffee takes five years from planting to harvest, making the waiting period extremely long. Once in the harvesting season, coffee often takes over a month to ripen. If abnormal weather occurs before ripening—such as typhoons or heavy rain—despite knowing it will cause significant losses, the quality commitment prevents early harvesting, leading to sharply reduced yields. The risk is actually much higher than for low-altitude estates.

Brewing Method

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over Panama Elida. 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's ghost-tooth grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for 27 seconds bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops halfway in the coffee bed before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Geographic Excellence

Panamanian coffee is famous for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the region where La Esmeralda 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 beautiful scenery, fertile and rich soil, and a climate and terrain perfectly suited for producing high-quality coffee.

Award-Winning Quality

Since 2006, Elida's selected batches have consistently ranked among Panama's best winning batches year after year, with prices increasing annually. 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 receive endless praise. Judges are also drawn to Elida's unique "umami" flavor. This term comes from "Umami." Currently, many experts include "umami" as the fifth taste (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami). The function of umami is similar to monosodium glutamate, enhancing freshness or used in foods for making broth, such as dried shiitake mushrooms, aged cheese, and kelp, where umami can be detected. Umami in coffee is related to good "aftertaste"—for example, a long and pleasant aftertaste after sipping, which are all perceptions of delicious flavors.

Processing Excellence

The equipment, tools, and processing steps at Elida's processing facility are all meticulously crafted. Generally, when coffee cherries reach a certain stage of post-processing, if their moisture content exceeds 20% for an extended period, not only do the high-quality components inside easily dissipate, but there's also the possibility of off-flavors developing. Additionally, since Elida's processing facility is still at high altitude, they have dedicated processing equipment to control temperature and timing during drying. This must be controlled perfectly and is a crucial step affecting quality.

Varietal Information

This batch of FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Estate uses the 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. The flavor is elegant, but the plant is relatively weak with poor disease resistance and low fruit yield. Excellent estate beans like Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to the Typica variety. The top leaves of Typica are copper-colored, called red-tipped coffee. Typica belongs to the Arabica species.

Unique Terroir

More than half of Elida Estate's area is within Panama National Park's reserve zone. It is a rare ultra-high-altitude estate in Central America, growing coffee between 1,700 and nearly 2,000 meters based on terrain feasibility. It is famous for its main flavor axis of "intense and umami."

Estate Details

Elida Estate belongs to owner Wilford Lamastus. This estate grows three varieties, including Typica, Geisha, and Catuai, with the nursery area cultivating seedlings of these varieties. The journey to the estate is beautiful. At 1,700 meters, the air becomes cold and crisp, like walking in high mountains enjoying a forest bath and breathing very fresh air. The estate's terrain at 2,000 meters is steep and rugged, but after crossing the ridge line to the saddle area, it's surprisingly flat and open ground, with terrain that can block the howling mountain winds. Wilford says this is the best place to grow Geisha!

Product Information

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Boquete Elida Estate Natural Typica

Flavor Description: Rich tropical fruits, strawberry notes, black plums, apricots, peaches, longans, with intense fruit wine aromas.

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Bean State: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Panama

Roast Level: Medium roast

Typica Variety Details

Typica is a tall-growing cultivar of Arabica, originating from the Yemen to Java branch, which began spreading on Java Island in the early 18th century.

Ethiopia's oldest native variety, all Arabica varieties derive from Typica. The top leaves of Typica are bronze-colored, and the beans are oval or slender and pointed. The flavor is elegant, but the plant is relatively weak with poor disease resistance and low fruit yield. Excellent estate beans like Jamaica Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona all belong to the Typica variety.

Its plants are very similar to what we call Java today, with bronze-tipped young leaves, and both fruit and seeds are large. Yields are very low, and it's susceptible to all major pests and diseases.