Panama - La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Series Origin Introduction and Flavor Description

Panama La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain

La Esmeralda Estate is situated in the Boquete region of southwestern Panama. Initially established as a comprehensive farm, coffee cultivation was only part of the estate's overall economic activities, which also included dairy farming and citrus cultivation. What makes La Esmeralda particularly notable is that in the late 20th century, the estate owners—the Peterson family—accidentally discovered a coffee variety with exceptional potential: GEISHA. Through careful cultivation and planting, since 2004, they have won a series of coffee championships with this variety for several consecutive years, establishing La Esmeralda as an unshakable king in the global coffee market.

A Turning Point in History

2002 was a turning point for La Esmeralda. Daniel Peterson, the youngest son of Mr. Peterson, believed that coffee from both regions of La Esmeralda (the original La Esmeralda Estate in southwest Boquete and the Jaramillo Estate acquired in 1996) had always been harvested and sold mixed. Although the overall quality evaluation was good, the quality and flavor were not necessarily uniform. He reasoned that the extremely elegant citrus fruit aroma and sweetness must come from some exceptional coffee varieties within the farm. Therefore, he began conducting cupping evaluations of coffee from each growing area in the estate. Finally, in several high-altitude valleys of the Jaramillo estate, he discovered coffee harvested from these tall, slender, low-yield coffee trees with exceptional cupping flavors. After several inquiries, he learned that these varieties, which thrive in high-altitude, low-temperature environments, were the later-renowned GEISHA variety.

In 2004, La Esmeralda participated in the Best of Panama (BOP) cupping competition with these special coffees. Geisha's unique aroma and rich mouthfeel amazed the 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 La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee in the specialty coffee industry! Subsequently, it won BOP championships in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010.

La Esmeralda's Other Award Records:

Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) Cupping Champion (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 Competition Champion (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2004)

Today, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda has become the coffee estate with the highest number of awards globally.

The Relationship Between 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 top-tier products, the estate has actually launched many accessible green bean varieties, one of which is the Diamond Mountain series introduced by FrontStreet Coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain series is grown on the mountain slopes of the Canas Verdes and Jaramillo regions in the Boquete growing area, east of Baru Volcano, at altitudes between 1400-1600M. The coffee varieties planted in this area are mainly Typica, Bourbon, and Catuai. The region's volcanic soil provides excellent conditions for coffee cultivation, and the original forest offers sufficient shade for the coffee trees. These unique natural conditions produce green coffee beans with rich and complex fruit aromas, chocolate, and fresh spice flavors.

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

La Esmeralda's Renowned Product - Diamond Mountain

Geographical Environment:

Diamond Mountain is another star brand under La Esmeralda, with Catuai as the main variety. These green coffee beans are harvested from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of La Esmeralda's four independent farms. The volcanic soil of these two independent farms provides excellent conditions for coffee cultivation, and the original forest offers sufficient shade for the coffee trees. Due to these unique natural conditions, the produced green coffee beans have rich fruit aromas and sweetness, making Diamond Mountain another popular independent brand from La Esmeralda besides Geisha.

Catuai Variety:

We know that coffee flavor is greatly influenced by coffee varieties, and the delicate flavor of Geisha coffee is precisely what makes this variety popular. Diamond Mountain's variety is Catuai, planted at La Esmeralda.

Catuai originates from the Guarani word "multo mom," meaning "very good." It comes in 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 a natural hybrid of Bourbon and Typica varieties.

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

Despite its very high yield, the flavor potential is enormous. The foundation of Diamond Mountain coffee is provided by the Catuai variety, delivering pleasant citrus acidity, solid and full body, and the high sweetness characteristic of Bourbon series varieties.

Diamond Mountain Coffee's Bonus: La Esmeralda's Processing Method

FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain coffee quality comes not only from its superior growing environment and high-yield variety but also from one advantage: La Esmeralda's mature processing technology. The cupped Diamond Mountain comes from La Esmeralda's natural processing. At La Esmeralda, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly 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 and develop 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 Guardiola dryers 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 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 horizontal rotating drum that allows warm air to flow around the beans, thereby removing moisture and reducing the chance of mold. 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 cup flavor.

La Esmeralda - FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain Series Flavor Description

FrontStreet Coffee observes that Diamond Mountain's natural process green beans have a yellowish color, and natural process beans also have more silver skin on the surface. Caturra green beans have curved tips, are round and slender, while Catuai beans have flat bodies with relatively slender tips. To preserve more red berry notes in the coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters adopted a medium-light roast level for this Diamond Mountain. Now let's brew a cup to taste its flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain Brewing Recommendations

Filter: V60 #01
Water Temperature: 90-91°C
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method:

Three-stage extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When the water level drops to about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 125g. When the water level drops again to about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. Remove the filter when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed (timing starts from the beginning of blooming). Total extraction time: 2'00".

Brewing Flavor:

Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, slight fermentation, smooth mouthfeel, cocoa aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473