The Story of Panama Diamond Series Coffee Beans - Hacienda La Esmeralda Natural Process Flavor Profile

Panama - La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain

Introduction to La Esmeralda Estate Coffee Cultivation

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 noteworthy is that at the end of the 20th century, the estate owners—the Peterson family—accidentally discovered a highly promising coffee variety: GEISHA. Through careful cultivation and planting, since 2004, this variety has won consecutive championships in numerous coffee competitions, establishing La Esmeralda as an unrivaled king in the global coffee market.

2002 was a turning point for La Esmeralda Farm. This came about because Daniel Peterson, the youngest son of Mr. Peterson, believed that the coffee produced by both areas of La Esmeralda Farm (the coffee cultivation within the estate was divided into two major areas—the original La Esmeralda Estate in southwestern Boquete and the Jaramillo Estate added in 1996) had always been harvested and sold mixed. 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 the flavor of some excellent coffee varieties within the farm. Thus, he began conducting cupping tests on each cultivation area within the estate one by one. 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 flavor. After several inquiries, he learned that these varieties that thrive in high-altitude, low-temperature environments were what later became famous—GEISHA!

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

Other Award Records of La Esmeralda Estate:

• 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 La Esmeralda Estate (Hacienda La Esmeralda) has become the coffee estate with the highest award rate globally.

The Relationship Between La Esmeralda Estate and Diamond Mountain

From consecutive championships starting in 2004 to independent bidding auctions 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 introduced many more accessible green bean varieties, one of which is the Diamond Mountain series introduced by FrontStreet Coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain series is cultivated on the outskirts of the Canas Verdes and Jaramillo regions in the Boquete growing area, to the right of the Baru Volcano, at altitudes between approximately 1400-1600M. Coffee varieties planted in this region are mainly Typica, Bourbon, and Catuai. The volcanic soil in this area provides excellent conditions for coffee cultivation, and the original forest offers sufficient shade for the coffee trees. These得天独厚的 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 business 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.

Diamond Mountain—A Renowned Product from La Esmeralda Estate

Geographical Environment: Diamond Mountain is another star brand under La Esmeralda Estate, with Catuai as the main variety. These green coffee beans are harvested from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of the four independent farms under La Esmeralda Estate. 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得天独厚的 conditions, the produced green coffee beans have rich fruit aromas and sweetness, making Diamond Mountain, besides Geisha, an equally popular independent brand from La Esmeralda Estate.

Catuai Variety

We know that coffee flavor is largely 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 Estate.

Catuai originates from the Guarani 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 has very high yields, partly because the plants are small, allowing shorter spacing between plants. Catuai's planting density is almost twice that of Bourbon.

Although the yield is very high, the flavor potential is also substantial. The foundation of Diamond Mountain coffee is precisely endowed by the Catuai variety—pleasant citrus acidity, solid and full-bodied taste, and the high sweetness characteristic of Bourbon series varieties.

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

The quality of FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain coffee comes not only from its superior growing environment and high-yield varieties but also from one advantage: La Esmeralda Estate's mature processing technology. This cupped Diamond Mountain comes from La Esmeralda Estate's natural processing. At La Esmeralda Estate, 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 from it, developing more fruit and fermented aromas.

Depending on weather and site composition, 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 and rotated for 72 hours 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 Estate's preferred drying method. As long as coffee bean size allows, the Guardiola can handle large quantities of coffee. The Guardiola is a horizontally rotating drum that allows warm air to flow around the beans, thereby eliminating moisture and reducing the chance of mold. After the coffee beans are dried, they are placed in nylon bags and stored in warehouses 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 Diamond Mountain Series Flavor Description

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

FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain Brewing Recommendations

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

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Continue pouring with small circular flow to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Total extraction time is 2'00".

Brewing Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, slight fermented sensation, 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