Introduction to the History of Panama's Specialty Coffee Growing Regions - Panama Geisha Coffee Bean Flavor Profile

The History of Panama Coffee

The history of Panama coffee is relatively short compared to other Central American countries, but it's incredibly fascinating. Today, coffee has become an ubiquitous beverage on Panamanian dining tables. From street corner inns to upscale restaurants, everywhere serves coffee grown in Panama itself.

According to records, coffee first arrived in Panama in 1742. At that time, a ship came from a French Caribbean island (Martinique, or more likely Haiti, which was already an established coffee producer). This ship arrived at Portobelo via Cartagena (which didn't produce coffee), and registered a barrel of coffee beans among its cargo. However, it wasn't until 1780 that coffee cultivation was first recorded on Panamanian territory. Settler Pedro Antonio de Ayarza attempted to grow coffee in Portobelo between 1780 and 1790, but quickly realized that the location wasn't particularly suitable for coffee cultivation.

It wasn't until the 1820s that coffee cultivation began in other regions of Panama, gradually replacing chocolate as the primary beverage and competing with tea, which had European roots. Panama has maintained the world record price per pound for its special premium variety, Geisha, and produces some of the world's most sought-after high-altitude coffees.

Panama Coffee Growing Regions

In Panama, coffee cultivation covers over 20,000 hectares, of which nearly 16,000 hectares are dedicated to Arabica varieties. The country's main coffee-growing areas are concentrated in western Panama, near the Costa Rican border, in the Chiriquí province, which includes three famous coffee-growing regions: Boquete, Volcán, Renacimiento, and Santa Clara.

These three locations are adjacent to each other, all situated on the Central American mountain ridge, near the magnificent but relatively inactive Barú Volcano, with its highest elevation reaching 3,475 meters. Due to its diverse climate and fertile volcanic soil, Chiriquí has also become a province with enormous potential for agricultural and livestock production, where various agricultural and livestock activities have developed, such as thoroughbred horse breeding, flower cultivation, cherry and banana farming, and most notably, specialty coffee.

The cool and picturesque Boquete valley is the cradle of Panama's coffee industry. A large number of European immigrants arrived there in the late 19th century, mainly Swiss, Yugoslavians, Swedes, and Germans. They realized that coffee cultivation in nearby regions (Panama belonged to Colombia before 1903) had achieved excellent results, so they decided to dedicate themselves to coffee bean production. Currently, there are approximately 50 to 75 coffee farms and about 15 coffee processing plants in the Boquete region.

Boquete covers a land area of 514 square kilometers. Approximately 15,000 residents live there, primarily growing coffee, flowers, citrus fruits, strawberries, and various vegetables. Most coffee plantations in this region are situated at an altitude of around 1,600 meters. Virtually all this land consists of nutrient-rich volcanic soil, ensuring abundant nutrients for coffee trees. The climate is cool and somewhat dry, with a mist that appears in the form of imperceptible drizzle every day, especially during summer, enveloping every coffee plantation. These mixed winds carrying rain are the reason why Boquete coffee cherries mature slowly. The resulting coffee flavor features medium to high acidity, accompanied by various floral and fruit aromas.

What Variety Should You Choose for Your First Panama Coffee Experience?

As the place where Geisha became famous, Panama Geisha is undoubtedly a must-try specialty variety. If you're trying this growing region for the first time, FrontStreet Coffee recommends their Boquete Geisha. This is a washed-processed Geisha coffee that, under medium-light roasting, presents white floral notes and bright citrus, grapefruit, and green tea tones, collectively forming a melody-like symphony in the mouth.

Before Geisha became famous, it didn't receive much attention from growers due to its tall and slender tree shape, poor disease resistance, low yield, and generally unremarkable flavor profile when grown at lower altitudes. In 2004, Geisha truly stepped onto the international coffee stage at the BOP "Best of Panama" competition, showcasing exquisite jasmine floral notes and deep fruit aromas that stunned all judges present. It received unprecedented high scores and won the championship title that year. Since then, Geisha coffee prices have continuously reached new highs, and its fame has spread throughout the global coffee community.

The reason why Geisha has won the affection of coffee enthusiasts is that, unlike the traditional impression of strong, bold black coffee, it's more like a refreshing cup of floral and fruit tea. With its rich fragrance and complex fruit flavors, it evokes a series of unusual aromas. At different temperatures, you can experience delicate textures and sweet and sour fruit notes filling the entire palate.

How to Make an Flat White with Aromatic Geisha Coffee?

At FrontStreet Coffee, we typically use a double shot espresso. Today's extraction parameters use 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 35 grams of liquid in 26 seconds, served in a 200ml ceramic cup, requiring 150ml of steamed fresh milk. The specific parameters and operations are as follows:

Coffee Beans: FrontStreet Coffee Panama Geisha
Coffee Grounds: 20g
Espresso Yield: 40g
Brew Ratio: 1:2
Extraction Time: 26-32 seconds
Grind Setting: Galileo 2.0 setting

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double-shot basket capacity, requiring 20 grams of coffee grounds each time, with a brew ratio of 1:2, meaning 40 grams of espresso liquid is extracted within a reasonable time. The extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction is controlled between 20-35 seconds. If it's less than 20 seconds, the coffee taste tends to be thin and weak, while exceeding 35 seconds easily leads to over-extraction, causing burnt and bitter flavors. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee controls the espresso extraction time within the 26-32 second range for our coffee production.

Before extraction, we need to first wipe the basket dry, turn on the grinder, grind the double-shot coffee grounds, place them on an electronic scale for measurement and adjustment until reaching 20 grams. Then use a distribution tool to level the coffee grounds, and apply vertical downward pressure with a tamper to compact the coffee puck, ensuring more stable coffee extraction.

Then start the extraction and flush water for 1-2 seconds to wet the brew head while washing away any stuck coffee grounds. Place an electronic scale under the espresso cup and tare it to zero, placing both under the brew head during extraction. Gently lock the portafilter into the brew head and start the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the espresso flow. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of espresso extracted (around 30 seconds), stop the extraction switch, then pour the espresso into a cup for later use.

Prepare 150ml of fresh milk, pour it into a milk pitcher and steam to 55-60 degrees Celsius with a layer of foam about 0.3cm thick. Finally, blend it evenly with the coffee and create a small white heart, and a Geisha Flat White coffee is complete.

This Geisha Flat White tastes exactly as FrontStreet Coffee expected. Because of the addition of milk, the coffee's acidity is masked, while the sweetness is enhanced, creating better balance between flavors. On the flavor level, we can still taste white floral notes and citrus flavors, and even discover caramel biscuit notes that emerge from the fusion with milk. Although the flavors aren't as rich as black coffee, the texture is smoother and the sweetness is higher~

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