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Flavor Profile and Characteristics of Panama Boquete Washed Huemul Geisha Coffee Beans - Hand Brewing Panama Geisha

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, For more professional coffee knowledge and coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Panama's formal coffee production began in the early twentieth century, with cultivation in the country's westernmost valleys and mountains. Most production consists of mild-flavored Arabica coffee beans, with respective yields of 82

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Panamanian coffee beans from the Boquete region in Chiriqui Province are very famous, including the well-known Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha coffee. Why is the coffee quality from the Boquete region so excellent? FrontStreet Coffee believes it has much to do with the natural environment where coffee grows. Did you know? Panamanian coffee beans from the Boquete region are grown at altitudes as high as 1,400-1,900 meters, near the famous Baru Volcano. The volcanic soil is fertile and rich in various organic nutrients, with a humid climate perfect for producing high-quality coffee. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped multiple Panamanian coffee beans and, after careful selection, has finally introduced coffee beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha, Elida Estate, and Hartmann Estate.

FrontStreet Coffee's Collection and Mission

Since opening in 2013, FrontStreet Coffee has featured nearly two hundred different coffee beans. In China, few specialty coffee shops offer such a wide variety of pour-over coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's continuous updating of coffee beans aims to establish corresponding coffee information while deeply understanding each coffee bean, the flavor profiles of beans from each country's respective regions, and then presenting this to everyone through text, images, and various other formats.

Panama Boquete Region: Ideal Growing Conditions

Today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to introduce Panamanian coffee beans from the Boquete region. Coffee tree cultivation is actually very particular. Aside from Catula grown in Brazil, which is a sun-exposed coffee variety that doesn't require shade trees, many coffee trees need shade trees.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, plantations in Panama's Boquete region require shade trees. Plantations with more than 50 trees per hectare are considered full-shade plantations, those with 25-50 trees are semi-shade plantations, and those with fewer than 25 trees are sun plantations. Shade trees play a significant role in coffee cultivation because Boquete plantations with shade trees can block intense sunlight, slowing the maturation time of coffee cherries. This extended time allows coffee cherries to gradually accumulate more coffee substances, resulting in higher flavor quality from coffee plantations with shade trees.

Esmeralda Estate's Geisha Classification

Additionally, most coffee beans from Panamanian coffee estates are hand-selected Arabica beans, with each batch being traceable to its origin. The Panamanian coffee beans from Esmeralda Estate that FrontStreet Coffee acquired can all be traced back to their source. For example, Red Label Geisha coffee has cupping scores above 90 points, with coffee trees grown at altitudes between 1,600-1,800 meters, mainly from the Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes plots: Green Label Geisha coffee doesn't require cupping scores, with coffee trees also grown at altitudes between 1,600-1,800 meters, mainly from mixed plots of Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes: Blue Label Geisha coffee comes from Jaramillo and Cañas Verdes plots: Green Label Geisha coffee doesn't require cupping scores, with coffee trees grown at altitudes between 1,400-1,500 meters, mainly from mixed plots of Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and Velo de Novia.

Butterfly Coffee: A High-Value Option

In addition to Panamanian Geisha coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee has also acquired a Panamanian coffee bean with excellent value for money—the Butterfly coffee. This coffee bean has 70% premium Geisha heritage, composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. Because Panama's rainfall is very abundant, washed processing is often used to treat coffee beans. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned earlier, both the Green Label and Blue Label Geisha varieties have washed processed beans. The FrontStreet Coffee Butterfly coffee, also using washed processing, produces a cup that is not only full-bodied but also has bright acidity and intense floral aromas, with rich rose fragrance noticeable during the brewing process.

Washed Processing Method

This Panama Butterfly coffee uses a washed processing method where mature coffee cherries are first harvested, then impurities or defective beans are selected through flotation. When coffee cherries are poured into water tanks, mature, full cherries sink to the bottom while immature cherries float on the surface. After removing the coffee cherry's skin and pulp, they are placed in water tanks for 18 hours of fermentation, followed by washing. Then the coffee beans can be dried.

Processing Methods and Flavor Profiles

Because processing methods inevitably affect coffee flavor, most customers who buy coffee beans at FrontStreet Coffee don't know much about coffee processing and aren't clear about the differences in flavor profiles between washed and natural processing. Through multiple cuppings of washed and natural processed coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee has discovered that washed processed coffee beans have brighter acidity, while natural processed coffee beans have much fuller body in taste, with ample sweetness and aroma.

Butterfly Coffee: A Single Origin Blend

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, in pursuit of higher yields, early Geisha varieties were mixed and planted with Caturra and Catuai coffee trees, while Butterfly coffee was later manually blended. However, because all three varieties of Butterfly coffee come from the same origin and region, Butterfly coffee is considered a single origin coffee. When brewing this Butterfly coffee, you can use the three-stage pour method, as FrontStreet Coffee believes this is a relatively simple technique to extract regional flavors effectively.

Elida Estate: Another Premium Selection

FrontStreet Coffee has also acquired coffee beans from another estate in the Boquete region—Elida Estate. Elida Estate is a very famous Panamanian coffee estate with extremely high coffee quality. Previously, FrontStreet Coffee cupped Geisha coffee beans from the same plot and altitude at Elida Estate and found that Elida Geisha coffee has more complex layering than Esmeralda Estate Geisha coffee, possibly due to different processing methods.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Elida Estate's coffee beans often achieve excellent results in coffee cupping competitions, which is inseparable from Elida Estate's superior geographical environment. Elida Estate's coffee trees are grown at altitudes between 1,600-1,800 meters, making it one of the highest altitude coffee estates in Panama. In such high-altitude environments, low temperatures extend the maturation period of coffee cherries by about a month compared to normal maturity. Additionally, Elida Estate's proximity to volcanoes provides fertile nutrients for coffee trees. These conditions all significantly promote the formation of coffee flavors.

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