Panama Coffee Estate Introduction to Panama Elida Estate Panama Elida Coffee Varieties

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Elida Estate: A Premier Coffee Growing Region

Elida Estate is located in the Boquete region of Chiriqui province, on the western border of Panama. The province's most famous landmark and tourist destination is the 3,300-meter-high Baru Volcano—one of the highest volcanoes in Central America.

With a total area of approximately 14,000 hectares, the volcano can be divided into 7 different microclimate zones based on altitude. Many rare plants, birds, and mammals inhabit the volcanic area, which has been designated as a national park to protect against hunting and human development or destruction. The Boquete region is located on the eastern side of Baru Volcano, in a valley area formed by volcanic lava flows. It sits alongside Volcan Valley, another well-known coffee producing region in Panama, separated by the volcano. The Boquete region has always been Panama's most notable coffee producing area, with numerous world-renowned estates such as Esmeralda, Hartman Estate (frequent winner of Best of Panama), Mama Cata, Kotowa, Santa Teresa, and others. Elida Estate itself is also one of the heavyweight star estates in the Boquete region. It has won Best of Panama awards for five consecutive years, with an impressive record second only to Esmeralda Estate.

The Lamastus Family Legacy

Elida Estate is owned by the Lamastus family, who began growing coffee in 1918. In addition to growing coffee within the estate, they now own another estate, El Burro. In 2015, the two estates had a total of seven coffee lots available for auction. Besides coffee, they also grow many native tree species that not only provide shade for the coffee but also protect the ecosystem. This family uses manual fertilization for their coffee trees and refuses to use environmentally harmful herbicides and pesticides. Currently, the coffee varieties grown include Catuai, Typica, and Bourbon, and they began planting the Geisha variety several years ago. Even though the estate grows many coffee varieties, they still use Catuai for Best of Panama competitions and have consistently achieved excellent results, demonstrating the estate's superior geographical environment and processing technology.

High Altitude Excellence

Elida Estate itself is a star estate in the Boquete region and one of the two highest altitude coffee estates in Panama. (The other estate with similar altitude should be Carmen Estate, located in Volcan Valley). The estate has a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half located within Baru Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares are used for coffee cultivation, while the remaining 35 hectares are primary forest. Due to the high altitude, the year-round low temperatures delay the maturation of coffee cherries. However, being near the volcano, the volcanic soil provides rich nutrients for coffee cultivation, enabling this estate's coffee beans to consistently achieve excellent results in competitions.

Elida Estate (Finca Elida) Award Records:

• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Traditional Washed Category 2nd Place
• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Traditional Natural Category 3rd Place
• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Geisha Washed Category 4th Place
• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Geisha Natural Category 5th Place
• 2014 Best of Panama BOP Natural Category 3rd and 7th Place, Natural Geisha Category 3rd Place
• 2014 Selected bean for Taiwan champion who placed 7th in WBC World Championship
• 2013 Best of Panama BOP Natural Category 6th and 11th Place
• 2012 Best of Panama BOP Natural Category 5th and 7th Place
• 2011 Best of Panama BOP Natural Category 3rd and 4th Place

El Burro Estate Award Records:

• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Traditional Natural Category 3rd Place
• 2015 Best of Panama (BOP) Geisha Natural Category 3rd Place
• 2015 Geisha Washed was an auction lot

Variety Comparison: Typica vs Catuai

Even for beans from the same Panama Elida Estate, do different varieties show significant flavor differences? FrontStreet Coffee compared the Typica and Catuai varieties from Elida Estate.

Cupping

Elida Typica: Features fermented fruit aroma and jasmine fragrance, with peach and orange acidity upon entry, creating a sweet and sour sensation. The sweetness of raisins and cane sugar is distinct, with an overall refreshingly sweet character.

Elida Catuai: Has fermented wine aroma and rose fragrance, with berry, citrus, and green tea flavors upon entry. Creamy, nutty aftertaste and cane sugar sweetness, with a more balanced overall profile.

Pour Over

Equipment: V60

Water Temperature: 89°C

Grind Size: BG 5R (58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Technique: 30g water for 30-second bloom, then slowly pour with small water flow to 125g for分段. Wait until the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, then continue pouring to 230g water to finish.

Elida Typica: Orange and citrus acidity upon entry, with fermented wine aroma. Sweetness of raisins and preserved fruits, creating a sweet and sour sensation. Black tea aftertaste with long-lasting cane sugar and caramel sweetness.

Elida Catuai: Citrus and berry acidity upon entry, with raisin sweetness. Nutty, chocolate, and creamy flavors, with pine nut aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's comparison revealed that Elida Estate's Typica variety tends toward preserved fruit-like sweetness, while Catuai features nutty and chocolate flavors. Therefore, even for beans grown in the same estate at similar altitudes, different varieties produce different flavors!

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