Geisha | Volcán Region Panama's Finca La Mula |

Panama Volcán Region Finca Piedra de Candela | What are the flavors of the Geisha and Catuai varieties under honey processing and sun-dried processing?

Any discussion of Finca Piedra de Candela has to begin with one important figure - Graciano Cruz. His standing is probably already familiar to many readers. A pioneer and promoter of Panama's sun-dried and honey processing methods, he co-founded Ninety Plus with Joseph Brodsky and later established HiU, spreading his experience to many producing regions and bringing Finca Piedra de Candela onto the world stage. The batches we introduced this year from Finca Piedra de Candela are special reserve lots personally selected by Graciano Cruz himself. At the November coffee exhibition, he also held a sharing session especially for friends in Taiwan. Graciano Cruz is committed to experimenting with, developing and promoting honey-processed and sun-dried methods that use almost no water, reducing environmental impact. On every farm he manages, only honey-processed and sun-dried coffees are produced, and no precious water resources have been consumed in coffee post-processing for many years.

Basic Information

Country: Panama

Region: Piedra de Candela

Altitude: 1,750-1,950 meters

Varieties: Geisha, Catuai

Producer: Graciano Cruz

Packaging: 22.7 kg/box, vacuum-packed at origin

Location and Terroir

Finca Piedra de Candela sits in a genuinely remote and hard-to-reach place. Open Google Maps, enter its GPS coordinates, and its location becomes clear at once. Zoom out slightly and you will find that the farm is not in the well-known Boquete or Volcán regions, nor even in the Santa Clara region where Finca Hartmann and Finca La Aurora are located. It lies further north than Finca La Aurora, deep in the mountains right next to the Costa Rican border, in a place called Jurutungo/Piedra de Candela (Candle Rock). Starting from Volcán town and continuing west, it takes more than two hours of driving to arrive.

If you set out from the well-known Boquete region instead, it takes two hours to reach Volcán town, then you follow Highway 43, which eventually crosses the border, winding west for about an hour to Santa Clara. Our beloved Finca Hartmann is almost there. Leave the scenic Highway 43 and turn onto the ridge road heading upward, and the arduous bean-hunting journey finally begins to make itself felt. Along the way you first pass another famous farm, FST (Finca Santa Teresa), at an altitude of about 1,500 meters. Continuing deeper, you pass the entrance and lowest point of Finca La Aurora, which drives everyone crazy, but this is still not the end. Upholding the spirit of going through fire and water, you push on and finally arrive at Finca Piedra de Candela. Walk around the farm and the owner will point to the slopes on the west or north side and tell you that beyond them lies Costa Rica.

Climate and Environment

In terms of climate, we have visited Santa Clara and Volcán more than three times each, but coming this deep into the region to Finca Piedra de Candela was a first for us. Summarizing our observations, the microclimate here is quite different from Boquete. Boquete receives sea breezes from the Atlantic through topographical gaps, and with the terrain variations it has rich microclimates and very humid weather. There the sun shines while rain falls in the distance with rainbows hanging; there it is calm while winds howl through distant valleys; or mornings bring fog and drizzle, followed by sun at noon and light rain again in the evening - all common occurrences.

The entire Volcán region, however, including Santa Clara to the west and the Piedra de Candela area, presents a completely different situation. The northern mountain barriers of Volcán are deeper, making it difficult for Atlantic moisture to rush in with the wind. Often there are clear skies for thousands of miles, and bypassing Volcán Barú brings a completely different feeling. Further west toward the Santa Clara area, clear skies, scorching sun and dry air seem to keep intensifying.

When we visited to serve as international judges for Best of Panama in May 2016, we revisited farms in this region again. In Boquete region farms, quite a few were already flowering with light rain in May, while coffee trees in the Santa Clara region were still very suppressed - truly two different scenarios. Suppressed coffee trees are also part of a natural cycle that often makes them flower and fruit more uniformly. Perhaps this is why we have a vague sense that coffee from the Santa Clara region seems to trend toward higher sweetness. Let us keep observing and verifying.

Processing Methods

Besides the sun-dried batches that everyone loves, Graciano Cruz's other signature - honey processing - is a treasure not to be missed. Black honey processing is closer to sun-dried, and his honey processing is even more worthy of careful savoring as a classic work, especially the Geisha honey-processed batches. While honey processing enhances the thickness and complexity of the cup, it clearly presents the charming, delicate side that is the whole point of Geisha.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal R-440 #3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First infusion with 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second infusion to 120g water, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue infusion. Slowly pour water until reaching 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: A three-stage brewing method clearly defines the front, middle and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during the pour extends the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For the honey-processed and sun-dried Geisha style described here, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha is the easiest way in. Grown at 1,600 meters on the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Boquete valley, where mist hangs between the ridges and the Baru volcano feeds the land, it delivers the varietal's signature jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus and orange notes. It is an entry-level, estate-grade Geisha that lets you taste the classic profile without an auction-level price.

If you want the fullest expression of Panama Geisha, look for FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label. Picked from a single plot above 1,700 meters, each lot is cupped above 90 points and carries a fine orange-blossom and honey character. A Green Label lot, blended from several plots at high altitude, is the more affordable way to enjoy the same Esmeralda house style.