Panama Honey Process Coffee | Panama BOP | Los Lajones Estate

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Bean Recommendations | Panama Mariposa | Hacienda La Esmeralda Blue Label Geisha

Panama, a small Central American nation, is a country genuinely worth anticipating.

The "Best of Panama" cupping competition draws global attention, not only for the appeal of the coffee itself but for its astonishing, sky-high prices. Some small farms produce the Geisha variety, whose unique floral aroma captures the attention of coffee lovers worldwide. Panama offers excellent coffee well beyond Geisha, though — most of its trees are Typica and Caturra. Coffee grows in almost every region, especially the Chiriquí District in western Panama, the source of many premium coffees. Panamanian coffee has intense floral aromas and clean fruit fragrances, with cupping quality that far exceeds other expensive coffees. Its flavor is stunning and its quality consistently excellent.

Panama coffee is widely used in both specialty and commercial roasting. Notably, some family-owned small farms in the Boquete growing region of Chiriquí District produce genuinely distinctive coffee cherries. Each harvest, farms hire local Ngäbe workers, employing them under Central American labor laws at fair, reasonable wage standards.

Los Lajones Estate is a century-old, excellent small farm in the Boquete growing region. Its current owner, Graciano Cruz, is a farmer who genuinely loves coffee, and the farm was the first to develop honey processing. The basic principle of honey processing is to harvest only fully ripe cherries and measure the sugar content of the beans. During the mature harvest period, at the end of each day, the freshly picked cherries are gathered immediately, the skin and pulp are removed while the fresh mucilage is left on the bean surface, and the beans are spread on elevated outdoor bamboo racks. This usually requires 10–12 days of drying. After drying, moisture content sits around 11%, at which point the beans, still wrapped in parchment, have the mucilage removed by machine, are cleaned, and are bagged. Honey processing solves the problem of the huge capital investment required to build wet mills and sun-drying facilities. It also lets remote small farms avoid the over-fermentation that can occur while fresh cherries are transported, which would otherwise degrade bean quality. That, in turn, lets small-yield, small-scale excellent farms stand out.

The clear yellow-brown mucilage on the green beans is the main reason behind Los Lajones Estate's complex, varied fermented fruit-wine flavors.

These precious beans are protected in vacuum-sealed ziplock bags at release to prevent loss of aroma and moisture.

Property Characteristics

Farm Name: Los Lajones Estate

Farmer: Graciano Cruz

Awards: 12th, Best of Panama 2008

Region: Boquete growing region

Location: Eastern slopes of Volcan Baru

Country: Panama

Farm Size: 160 hectares

Altitude: 1,750–2,100 meters

Annual Precipitation: 3500 mm

Soil: Volcanic clay

Type of Shade Trees: Ingas

Certification: Organic cert. by Bio Latina

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: Mixed cultivation of Geisha, Caturra, Yellow Catuai, Pacamara, and others

Processing System: Honey processing, African raised beds

Flowering period: April–June

Harvest period: January–April (annual harvest)

Aroma/Flavor: Strawberry fragrance, orange, honey, brown sugar, grape, pineapple, mango, cherry, fermented fruit aroma

Acidity: Chamomile-like and tartaric acidity, sweet, lively fruit acidity, orange soda flavor

Complexity & Other: Very complex and varied, with a hazy mouthfeel and unique flavors like guava fruit wine. The aftertaste is long and honey-sweet, with dark chocolate aroma.

Dry Aroma: 9

Wet Aroma: 10

Cleanliness: 8

Brightness: 10

Mouthfeel: 10

Balance: 8

Complexity: 9

Sweetness: 10

Acidity: 10

Aftertaste: 10

Cupping Score: 94

Overall Comments: This is a surprisingly excellent bean. Unlike Costa Rican honey-processed beans with their rich, complex citrus sweetness, Panama honey-processed beans have an aroma like a sealed jar of fruit wine — once opened, waves of fermented wine aroma rise up. This deep, unhurried yet rising aromatic style is a very unique and rare characteristic of Panamanian coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For another taste of Panama's honeyed, fruit-wine depth, the FrontStreet Panama Boquete Gesha is a natural companion. Grown at 1,600 meters on fertile volcanic-ash soil between misty mountain ridges, it delivers the classic Gesha profile of jasmine florals, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange, with a clean, layered cup.

If this estate's marquee Geisha character is what you are chasing, the FrontStreet Esmeralda Red Label Gesha is harvested from a single plot above 1,700 meters and must cup at 91 points, showing a refined citrus-honey charm. The Green Label, originally "Private Collection," blends lots from several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Gesha style at a friendlier price.

And since it is honey processing that gives Los Lajones its wine-like richness, the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy is a fitting everyday option: a Costa Rican honey-processed coffee blended with a Panama Gesha, bringing both delicate florals and sweet fruit. It suits a pour-over, a moka pot, a home espresso machine, and cold brew alike.