Coffee Estate - Panama Elida Estate Coffee

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Coffee origins are distributed in different parts of the world, primarily in several major regions: Central America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Yunnan, China. Different estates in different regions produce coffee with varying aromas and flavors due to differences in altitude, soil, temperature, and precipitation. Similar to the classification system of wine, specialty coffee emphasizes "traceability and transparency," allowing us to trace each bag of coffee beans to the specific estate where it was grown, along with detailed information about altitude, precipitation, soil conditions, processing methods, and more. Let's take you into the estates to explore the growing environment of each coffee bean and discover the conditions that shape coffee flavors...

Central America: The Land of Premium Coffee

This time we're visiting Central America, which refers to the central region of the American continent south of Mexico and north of Colombia, bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It's a narrow landmass connecting South and North America, including 7 countries: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Elida Estate: Panama's Coffee Gem

Elida Estate is located in the Boquete region of Chiriquí Province, Panama's western border province. The province's most famous landmark and tourist destination is the 3,300-meter-high Barú Volcano - one of the highest volcanoes in Central America. With a total area of approximately 14,000 hectares, the volcano is divided into 7 different microclimate zones based on altitude. Within the volcanic area, many rare plants, birds, and mammals inhabit, making it a designated national park that prohibits hunting and human development or destruction.

Traveling to Elida via Salto

At the Elida family nursery

Estate owner Wilford Lamastus gets out of his vehicle to pick wild berries and tree tomatoes on the steep terrain.

Behind him are cash crops that he can harvest and sell, which are even exported to Panama City, the capital, with reportedly excellent sales.

The Boquete region is located on the eastern side of Barú Volcano, in a valley area formed by volcanic lava flow, adjacent to another famous coffee-producing region in Panama - the Volcan Valley - separated by the volcano. The Boquete region has always been Panama's most prominent coffee-producing area, with many world-renowned estates—such as Hacienda La Esmeralda, which became famous for the Geisha variety; Hartman Estate, a frequent winner at Best of Panama; Mama Cata Estate; Kotowa Estate; Santa Teresa Estate; and others. Elida Estate itself is also a heavyweight star estate in the Boquete region—having won Best of Panama awards for five consecutive years, with an impressive record second only to Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Elida Estate has a total area of 65 hectares, more than half of which lies within the Barú Volcano National Park. Of the estate's area, 30 hectares are planted with coffee trees, while the remaining 35 hectares are preserved as virgin forest. The coffee is grown at altitudes ranging from 1,670 to 1,850 meters, making it one of the two highest-altitude coffee estates in Panama (the other estate with similar altitude levels should be Carmen Estate, located in the Volcan Valley).

Newly sprouted coffee seedlings

In such high-altitude environments, low temperatures cause a delay in the maturation of coffee cherries, about a full month later than the normal maturation period; while the fertile volcanic loam soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, combined with the excellent microclimate brought by Barú Volcano, enabling Elida Estate to consistently achieve excellent results in cupping competitions.

Elida's processing station is located midway between the nursery and the higher grounds of the estate, which can also be said to be within the estate itself. The road conditions along the way are not poor, with direct highway access, making it convenient for trucks to enter and transport coffee. The picture shows honey-processed parchment beans undergoing drying, with a simple processing facility and storage area for parchment beans nearby.

In addition to creating excellent coffee cultivation conditions, the Lamastus family, who operate Elida Estate, also plant many different native tree species within the estate, not only providing shade for the coffee trees but also offering a friendly habitat for birds. In terms of fertilization, the Lamastus family uses manual fertilization and a small amount of chemical fertilizers, but never uses environmentally harmful pesticides and herbicides.

Ripe red coffee cherries

Currently, in addition to varieties such as Catuai, Typica, and Bourbon, the Lamastus family also began planting the Geisha variety several years ago. Despite this, the batches that Elida Estate enters in Best of Panama competitions all use the Catuai variety, yet they can still achieve excellent results repeatedly, demonstrating how their geographical environment and superior post-harvest processing techniques bring excellent quality and special flavors to the coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee · Panama Elida Catuai

Estate Name: Elida Estate (ELIDA ESTATE COFFEE)

Country: Panama

Estate Location: Alto Quiel, Boquete

Annual Production: Approximately 400 bags (60 kg/bag)

Estate Area: 65 hectares (30 hectares planted with coffee, 35 hectares preserved as virgin forest)

Coffee Tree Age: Old planting area: 40 years, others: average 5 years

Altitude: 1,700~2,000 meters

Main Varieties: Catuai 85%, Typica and Bourbon 15%, small amount of Geisha

Flowering Period: March, April, May

Harvest Period: January~April

Soil Type: Volcanic clay soil

Average Annual Precipitation: 2,400 mm

Processing Method: Natural

Dry Aroma: Dark berries, sweet fragrance, estate-level chocolate, floral notes, oily aroma

Wet Aroma: Honey sweetness, berry fragrance, black currant, red raspberry, various rich sweet and sour aromas

Flavor Profile: Distinct black berry flavor upon entry, very clean and full-bodied, good oily texture, well-balanced sweet and sour notes, black currant, high-altitude tomato flavor, cranberry, with a persistent oily sensation.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473