Introduction to Panama's Butterfly Coffee Region and Panama Coffee Brewing Methods

Coffee Information

Country: Panama

Grade: SHB

Region: Boquete

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Processing Method: Washed

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Geisha

Boquete Region

Panama coffee is famous for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the region where Hacienda La Esmeralda is located is also quite renowned: the Boquete region in Chiriqui Province. Boquete is a town in Chiriqui Province, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its beautiful scenery, rich and fertile soil, and climate and soil conditions ideal for producing high-quality coffee.

Within the Boquete region there are many excellent estates. Besides the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, there are also well-known estates like Elida Estate and Akabaa Estate, all producing high-quality specialty coffee. This isn't only due to Panama's superior ecological conditions in the Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru volcano area. Another important factor is the microclimate in the Boquete highlands, a unique resource for specialty coffee here; Panama's east-west geography causes cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the Central Mountains, creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete area and making its temperature and rainfall very suitable for plant growth. So coffee trees planted here grow exceptionally well.

But in a growing environment as blessed as Boquete, there naturally isn't just one supreme coffee like Esmeralda's Geisha, which commands high prices for both flavor quality and value. Drinking Geisha daily is still quite luxurious, and even without economic pressure, eating delicacies like shark fin and bear paw every day wouldn't be right either. The same goes for coffee — exploring widely brings more joy in appreciating coffee flavors.

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 famous in the coffee world for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda. It can be said to be a country that strives for excellence in coffee and produces high-quality beans.

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

Flor de Mariposa Coffee

In the land of Boquete, there is a coffee bean with exceptionally high value for money, and it has a very beautiful name — Flor de Mariposa (Butterfly Flower). It has 40% superior Geisha heritage, composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, grown in the Baru volcano region of Boquete, at an altitude of 1,600 meters in the volcanic area. The processing plant uses fine washed processing. Panama's special local microclimate brings abundant rainfall to this region, with large temperature differences between day and night. Combined with the unique volcanic rock soil of the volcanic area, as well as meticulous harvesting and fine processing, this coffee performs excellently in body, acidity, and floral notes.

Even more surprising, given its excellent quality, a very approachable price makes this coffee bean's value explode. The special feature of this coffee bean is that it's composed of three varieties, with 40% Geisha, giving it very distinct Geisha flavor characteristics. According to research, due to historical reasons at the estate, when pursuing yield in the early days, the early Geisha variety was mixed with Caturra and Catuai coffee trees. For easier harvesting, coffee farmers didn't reclassify them but directly processed all three varieties together. Later, when Geisha became famous and prices soared, the processing plant began applying fine washed processing to such beans.

There are many washed processing methods today, but generally, after coffee cherries are harvested, floating beans are skimmed off, then the pulp is removed, and the beans are soaked in fermentation tanks. Enzymes in the water soften the mucilage attached to the parchment's inner skin, while natural yeasts break down the sugars in the mucilage. This process is called fermentation. After fermentation completes, the beans are moved to patios to sun-dry. During drying, the beans need constant turning to ensure even drying. Finally, they're stored in parchment in warehouses. After green bean buyers place orders, hulling and bagging are performed. Coffee processed this way has a clean taste, emphasizing bright, lively fruit acidity, as well as clear fruit flavors and floral notes.

So you can imagine that with Flor de Mariposa's varietal superiority and fine processing, if a medium-light roast is used to complete this bean's final flavor direction, you will surely give this coffee — with Geisha's characteristic floral notes, Southeast Asian fruits, berry flavors, honey sweetness, and smoothness, with very persistent aroma and aftertaste — your highest approval.

Cupping Notes

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

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

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

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

Product Information

Factory Name: FrontStreet Coffee

Shelf Life: 90 days

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk coffee beans

Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee

Series: FrontStreet Coffee Roasting

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Panama

Roast Degree: Medium Roast

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Flor de Mariposa. 15g coffee, medium grind (Fuji Royal 4 grind setting), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g water, steam for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and pause, wait until the bed level drops to half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Tedman & MacIntyre Estate

The Boquete region in Panama, located in Chiriqui Province bordering Costa Rica, is the famous origin of Geisha coffee, renowned worldwide for producing high-quality Arabica coffee. The Tedman & MacIntyre Estate, located in the 4,000-foot altitude mountainous area of Boquete, originates from two of Panama's earliest coffee families: the Tedman family and the MacIntyre family.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the Boquete region and Flor de Mariposa have you curious, the natural first step is FrontStreet Panama Boquete Geisha — a single-estate, entry-level Geisha grown at 1,600 meters on fertile volcanic ash soil, which gives it a rich, fragrant cup. Brewed, it shows Geisha's signature jasmine florals, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange. For something a bit more layered, FrontStreet Panama Butterfly brings that same Boquete terroir with 40% Geisha heritage, delivering jasmine, citrus, bergamot, honey, and vanilla with a bright, clean acidity.

If you want to go straight to the source of Geisha fame, Hacienda La Esmeralda splits its Geisha into Red and Green Labels. Red Label, or "Esmeralda Special," is grown at 1,600-1,800 meters from a single plot, cups above 90 points, and carries its own lot number — FrontStreet's Red Label comes from the Jaramillo plot. Green Label, or "Private Collection," blends batches from several plots to express the estate's high-altitude Geisha character at a friendlier price, making it the better value of the two.

Because Geisha is lightly roasted with dense beans that sink easily and can clog the dripper, FrontStreet suggests a grind around 78% pass-through on a China standard #20 sieve (roughly fine caster sugar) and 91°C water, so the delicate aromatics extract fully without going bitter. For pour-over, use 15g in a small Hario V60 at a 1:16 ratio, pouring in three stages — 30g bloom for 30s, then to 125g, then to 225g — for a total time of about 2:10-2:20. That's the best way to keep those floral, tea-like notes front and center.