Recommended Pour-Over Method for Panama Kotowa Rio Cristal Natural Geisha_Kotowa Estate Story

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2018 Best Of Panama Natural Geisha Category 5th Place Auction Lot

Panama Coffee - Kotowa Rio Cristal Green Tip Geisha Natural

(Farm's award history: 2011 BOP#4, 2012 BOP#3, 2013 BOP#4)

Flavor Profile

Winey, Hami Melon, Mulberry, Dark Plum, Dark Chocolate

Coffee Details

Country: Panama

Region: Chiriqui, Boquete, Palo Alto

Farm: Rio Cristal Kotowa

Owner: Kotowa Family

Variety: Green Tip Geisha

Altitude: 1800m

Processing: Natural Process

Rio Cristal belongs to the Kotowa family. Kotowa has four farms under its management: Duncan and Don K, which are very close to each other with altitudes around 1500-1700 meters; Las Brujas (Witch Farm) is a farm recently purchased by Kotowa in recent years, with an altitude of over 1900 meters.

The award-winning Rio Cristal (Crystal River Farm) is also a high-altitude new farm located on the northeast side of Boquete, very close to the continental divide. It has a unique microclimate because the farm receives almost no Pacific rainfall from May to December, while most of the rainfall from January to February comes from the Atlantic. Rio Cristal is situated at 1800 meters, but being closer to the continental divide, temperatures may be lower than other similar altitudes, dropping to around 9°C at night. Rio Cristal is located on the western slope of the continental divide, typically very clear in the morning but slightly windy due to Atlantic influence.

The farm is managed based on ecological principles, without using herbicides or pesticides. Prepared fertilizers are used to compensate for soil acidity and nutrient levels. During the growth process, nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, zinc, sulfur, and calcium are incorporated, which are particularly important during cherry maturation for the generation of floral and fruit aromas.

BOP-GN-5 is from Rio Cristal Kotowa (Crystal River Farm)

Generally, when people mention the Kotowa farm, they refer to it by its Chinese name "Witch Farm."

However, as a curious person, I decided to investigate why Kotowa is called Witch Farm.

I consulted several friends who have visited the origin and found information from the BOP website.

My friends and I were all shocked—

Kotowa ≠ Witch Farm

We first consulted a friend who had visited the Panama coffee origin.

Then we found some information about Kotowa and Las Brujas farms.

The Kotowa official website now has information about Duncan, Don K, and Rio Cristal farms.

It probably hasn't been updated for a long time, so there's no information about the Witch Farm (we saw on their website that their last article was published in 2016).

So actually, the Witch Farm is also one of the farms under the Kotowa family.

It has a parallel relationship with Duncan and Crystal River Farm, and does not represent the other farms—

How to Brew Panama Coffee [Kotowa Crystal River Farm Natural Geisha] Well?

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-over Reference: Weigh 15g of [Kotowa Crystal River Farm Natural Geisha] coffee grounds, pour into a grinder and grind to medium coarseness. The ground particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water temperature at 90°C, and V60 filter for extraction.

Using the hot water from the pour-over kettle, draw circles clockwise around the center of the filter. Start timing when brewing begins. In 15 seconds, brew the coffee to 30g, then stop pouring water. When the time reaches 1 minute, pour water for the second time. During the second pour, just like before, draw circles clockwise around the center of the filter. Avoid pouring water directly onto the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channel effects.

Leave one circle around the outermost edge of the coffee grounds, then brew in circles toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, brew the coffee to 220g. The coffee brewing is complete.

｜ Cold Brew [Kotowa Crystal River Farm Natural Geisha]

FrontStreet Coffee Cold Brew [Kotowa Crystal River Farm Natural Geisha] Reference:

Panama Coffee [Kotowa Crystal River Farm Natural Geisha], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 4B, grind level 3, 20g beans, 83°C water temperature, bloom for 3 minutes, Chemex pot, then cold brew with ice water, total water volume 200ml.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473