Panama Honey Process Coffee | Panama BOP | Los Lajones Estate

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

Panama, a Central American nation, is truly a country worth anticipation.

The "Best of Panama" cupping competition attracts global attention, not only for the appeal of the coffee itself but also for its astonishing sky-high prices. Some small farms produce the Geisha variety, with its unique floral aroma that further captures the attention of coffee enthusiasts worldwide. Panama produces excellent coffee beyond just the Geisha variety - most coffee trees are Typica and Caturra varieties. Coffee is grown in almost all regions, especially the Chiriqui District in western Costa Rica, which is the origin of many premium coffees. Panama 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 is 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 Chiriqui District produce truly distinctive coffee cherries. During each harvest season, farms hire local N'gobe Indians, and they employ them according to Central American labor laws at the most reasonable salary standards.

Los Lajones Estate Farm is a century-old excellent small estate located in the Boquete growing region. The current owner, Graciano Cruz, is a farmer who genuinely loves coffee. The farm was the first to develop honey processing. The basic principle of honey processing is to harvest only fully ripe coffee cherries and measure the sugar content of the beans. During the mature harvest period, at the end of each day's harvest, freshly picked cherries are immediately gathered, the skin and pulp are removed while retaining fresh mucilage on the bean surface, and then spread on elevated outdoor bamboo racks. This usually requires 10-12 days of drying. After the drying phase, the beans' moisture content is about 11%, then they are wrapped in parchment and the mucilage is removed by machine and the beans are cleaned and bagged. Honey processing can truly solve the problem of huge capital investment required for building wet processing mills and sun-drying facilities. Another advantage is that it allows remote small farms to eliminate the problem of over-fermentation during transportation of fresh cherries, which causes bean quality deterioration. This truly enables small-yield, small-scale excellent farms to stand out.

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

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

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, etc.

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 acid, tartaric acid, sweet, lively fruit acidity, orange soda flavor

Complexity & Other: Very complex and varied, hazy mouthfeel, and unique flavors like guava fruit wine. The aftertaste is long and sweet like honey, 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 fruit wine jar - once opened, you can smell waves of fermented wine aroma. This deep, leisurely yet upward-rising aromatic style is a very unique and rare characteristic of Panama coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans, while also providing online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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