Panama La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Washed Premium Coffee Beans Flavor Profile Taste Aroma Description

As is well known, Hacienda La Esmeralda is renowned worldwide for cultivating the Geisha variety, thanks to the unique terroir and climate characteristics of Panama's Boquete growing region, as well as the meticulous management by the estate owners. This allows us today to experience coffee rich in floral and honey-like notes. Did you know that besides the Geisha variety, Hacienda La Esmeralda actually has another product called "Diamond Mountain"? If you haven't heard of it, don't worry. Let FrontStreet Coffee introduce it to you properly.

Introduction to Coffee Cultivation at Hacienda La Esmeralda

Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in the suburbs of Boquete in southwestern Panama. Initially established as a comprehensive farm, coffee cultivation was only part of the estate's overall economic activities, which also included dairy cattle farming and citrus cultivation. When mentioning Hacienda La Esmeralda, what particularly caught the world's attention was at the end of the 20th century, when the estate owners—the Peterson family—accidentally discovered a highly promising coffee variety: Geisha. After careful cultivation and planting, starting from 2004, they won consecutive championships in various coffee competitions with this variety for several years. Since then, Hacienda La Esmeralda has stood unshakably in its kingly position in the global coffee market.

2002 was a turning point for Hacienda La Esmeralda, stemming from the youngest son of Mr. Peterson—Daniel Peterson. He believed that the coffee produced by the two areas of Hacienda La Esmeralda (the two major coffee growing regions—the original Hacienda La Esmeralda in southwestern Boquete and the Jaramillo region added in 1996) had always been harvested, mixed, and sold together. Although the overall quality evaluation was good, it wasn't necessarily of equal quality and flavor. That extremely elegant citrus fruit aroma and sweetness should come from some excellent coffee varieties within the farm. Thus, he began to conduct cupping evaluations of each growing block within the estate one by one. Finally, in several higher-altitude valley areas of the Jaramillo estate, he discovered coffee harvested from these tall, slender, and low-yield coffee trees with exceptional cupping flavor. After several inquiries, he learned that these varieties that thrive in high-altitude, low-temperature environments were the later-famous Geisha.

In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda participated in the Best of Panama (BOP) cupping competition with these special coffees. The unique aroma and saturated mouthfeel of Geisha amazed the participating judges, winning the "Best Coffee of Panama" championship title and setting a historical record of USD $21 per pound at that year's auction! This competition brought significant attention to Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee in the specialty coffee industry! They went on to win BOP championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

Other Award Records of Hacienda La Esmeralda:

• Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Cupping Championship (2007, 2006, 2005)
• Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Coffee of the Year Second Place (2009, 2008)
• Best of Panama Champion (2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004)
• Rainforest Alliance Coffee Quality Cupping Championship (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004)

Today, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda has become the coffee estate with the highest award-winning rate globally.

The Relationship Between Hacienda La Esmeralda and Diamond Mountain

From consecutive championships starting in 2004 to independent auction bidding beginning in 2008, the estate has set countless sky-high price records. In recent years, besides shining with its top-tier products, the estate has actually launched many more accessible green bean varieties, one of which is the Diamond Mountain series we introduced this year.

The Diamond Mountain series from Hacienda La Esmeralda is grown in the Boquete growing region on the right side of Baru Volcano, on the outskirts of the Canas Verdes and Jaramillo areas, at altitudes between approximately 1400-1600 meters. The coffee planted in this region is mainly Typica, Bourbon, and Catuai. The volcanic soil in this area is an excellent location for coffee cultivation, and the original forest provides sufficient shade environment for the coffee trees. Such得天独厚的条件 make the produced green coffee beans have rich and complex fruit aromas, chocolate, and fresh spice flavors.

Besides producing high-quality green coffee beans, Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain also continuously pursues and implements sustainable management practices. The entire estate has Rainforest Alliance certification, ensuring that bird and wildlife habitats are not damaged by human activities. During post-processing of green beans, wastewater is also recycled and reused to ensure clean water sources, forming a self-sufficient coffee estate ecosystem.

Famous Hacienda La Esmeralda Product—Diamond Mountain

Geographical Environment:

Diamond Mountain is another star-level brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda, with varieties mainly composed of Catuai, complemented by some Typica and Bourbon varieties. These green coffee beans are harvested from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of the four independent farms under Hacienda La Esmeralda. The volcanic soil of these two independent farms provides excellent conditions for coffee cultivation, and the original forest provides sufficient shade environment for the coffee trees. Due to such superior conditions, the produced green coffee beans have rich fruit aromas and sweetness, making Diamond Mountain another popular independent brand from Hacienda La Esmeralda besides Geisha.

Catuai Variety

We know that coffee flavor is greatly influenced by coffee varieties, and the exquisite flavor of Geisha coffee is precisely what makes this variety popular. The Diamond Mountain variety is Catuai cultivated at Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Catuai originates from the Guaraní word "multo mom," meaning "very good." There are Yellow Catuai and Red Catuai varieties. The Catuai variety was hybridized in 1949 from Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo varieties, initially named H-2077. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, while Mundo Novo is the result of natural hybridization between Bourbon and Typica varieties.

Therefore, the Catuai variety combines the advantages of both: high yield, disease resistance, and clean, bright flavor. Compared with Bourbon varieties, Catuai yield is very high, partly because the plants are small, allowing shorter spacing between plants. The planting density of Catuai is almost twice that of Bourbon.

Although the yield is very high, the flavor potential is also significant. The foundation of Diamond Mountain coffee is endowed by the Catuai variety—pleasant citrus acidity, solid and full mouthfeel, and the high sweetness characteristics of Bourbon series varieties.

Diamond Mountain Coffee's Added Advantage: Hacienda La Esmeralda's Processing Method

The quality of Diamond Mountain coffee, besides coming from its superior growing environment and high-yield varieties, one advantage comes from the mature processing technology of Hacienda La Esmeralda. The cupped Diamond Mountain comes from Hacienda La Esmeralda's natural processing. At Hacienda La Esmeralda, harvested coffee cherries are directly sent to patios for drying. The coffee cherries are dried evenly, and as characteristic of natural process coffee, the pulp is retained during drying, allowing the coffee beans to absorb sugars from it, developing more fruit and fermentation aromas.

Depending on weather and site conditions, coffee is dried on concrete patios for 3 to 5 days (8 hours per day). When it reaches sufficient dryness, it is placed in a Guardiola dryer for 72 hours of rotation to complete the drying process and prevent fermentation. After drying is complete, machines are used to remove pulp and other parts.

The Guardiola is Hacienda La Esmeralda's preferred drying method. As long as coffee bean size allows, the Guardiola can process large quantities of coffee. The Guardiola is a horizontally rotating drum that allows warm air to circulate around the beans, thereby removing moisture and reducing the chance of mold growth. After the coffee beans are dried, they are placed in nylon bags and stored in the warehouse for 30 to 45 days. This step is also called "reposo," which helps stabilize the coffee beans and improve cupping flavor.

Hacienda La Esmeralda—Diamond Mountain Series Coffee Flavor Description

FrontStreet Coffee observed that the natural process Diamond Mountain green beans have a yellowish color, and natural process beans also have more silver skin on the surface. Caturra green beans have a curve at the tail end, are round and slender, while Catuai beans are flat with a relatively slender tail end. To preserve more red berry notes in the coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster adopted a medium-light roast degree to present this Diamond Mountain. Now let's brew a cup and taste its flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda—Natural Diamond Mountain Coffee Beans

• Coffee Region: Boquete
• Coffee Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda
• Growing Altitude: 1400-1700m
• Coffee Varieties: Catuai, Caturra
• Processing Method: Natural Process

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