One of Panama's Finest Coffee Estates - An Introduction to Elida Estate Coffee Beans' Characteristics

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Panama Elida Estate

As the premier representative of Panama's finest coffee flavors, current estate owner Mr. Wilford Lamastus serves as honorary chairman of the world's most prestigious coffee competition, the Best of Panama (B.O.P). He likes to say that coffee has been his companion since childhood, and that his understanding of the world has been shaped through the contemplation and insight coffee demands. With his pursuit of perfection in production and his meticulous attention to detail, it is only natural that a coffee master like this cultivates truly extraordinary flavors.

The Lamastus family holds two records in the Best of Panama competition and emerged as the biggest flavor winner of the 2018 B.O.P! Elida Estate's washed Geisha scored an exceptional 94.66 points, breaking the previous record of 94.15 points set in 2016 — by another washed Geisha from Elida Estate itself. Meanwhile, the estate's natural Geisha set a new global auction price record at $803 per pound! To cap it off, Elida took first place in both the natural Geisha and washed Geisha categories, becoming the first "double champion" in B.O.P history and winning the 2018 Panama Best Producer award!

Elida Estate is the Lamastus family's most renowned farm, founded in 1918. From the moment Robert Lamastus, founder of the family's coffee estates, planted the first coffee tree, a full century has passed — 2018 marked the estate's 100th anniversary. The name "Elida" comes from the wife of then-owner Robert Louis Lamastus. The estate sits in the Boquete growing region at nearly the highest altitude in all of Panama, with almost half its area inside a national protected park — a rare ultra-high-altitude farm even by Central American standards! Elida covers 65 hectares in total, with more than half within the Baru Volcano National Park: 30 hectares are planted with coffee trees, while the remaining 35 hectares remain pristine forest.

Coffee is grown at altitudes from 1,700 to 2,300 meters, with three principal varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The wet mill is located halfway up the mountainside so that cherries can be delivered immediately after picking, ensuring their quality is never compromised. Elida's environment also suits other high-quality temperate crops, especially tree tomatoes and several uncommon high-altitude fruits — and, interestingly, the flavors of those fruits often show up in Elida's coffee. Mr. Wilford holds the cherry harvest to strict standards and manages every process meticulously, investing enormous labor in the pursuit of perfection.

Elida's coffees are more intense, more aromatic, and more complex than most Panamanian coffees. Of course, ultra-high altitude has its costs: with the large temperature swings between day and night, Elida's coffee takes 5 years after planting before the first harvest — considerably longer than the 3 years typical elsewhere. Growth is slower, but that patience pays off directly in flavor development.

Knowledge Extension

Elida Estate's 2018 Best of Panama performance was remarkable: a double championship in the natural and washed Geisha categories plus Estate of the Year. The Green Top Washed Geisha scored an exceptional 94.66 points, breaking the 94.15-point B.O.P record set by Elida's own Green Top Washed Geisha in 2016.

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research establishment, delighted to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation for one simple reason: to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three discounted coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price — this has been our mission for the past six years!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Elida's record-breaking Geishas prove why Panama is Geisha's famous home. Geisha is prized for its unique florals and superb sweet-and-sour balance, but low yields, weak disease resistance, and demanding cultivation keep prices high — so it helps to know which lines offer the best value. If Elida has inspired you, these two FrontStreet Panamanian Geishas are the classics to try:

FrontStreet Coffee Esmeralda Red Label Geisha (Esmeralda Special): Grown at 1600-1800m, every lot must cup above 90 points and every batch carries its own independent number, with all the beans in a batch coming from a single small plot — FrontStreet's Red Label, for instance, comes from the Jaramillo plot. That traceability lets buyers pick the batch that matches their exact flavor preferences. Expect Panamanian Geisha's signature orange-blossom elegance, jasmine-like florals, juicy citrus, and a lingering tea-like sweetness — dazzling in a pour-over.

FrontStreet Coffee Esmeralda Green Label Geisha (Private Collection): Rather than emphasizing individual plot information, the green-labeled series blends batches from multiple high-altitude plots to express Esmeralda's signature estate character. Because it isn't tied to a single micro-lot, it is considerably more affordable — which makes the Green Label the best value entry into authentic Panamanian estate Geisha, without giving up the classic floral and fruity profile.