Panama's Famous Coffee Estates - Don Pachi Estate: Where Livestock Grazing and Coffee Growing Meet

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Panama El Burro Estate

The story of El Burro Estate must begin with Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Hacienda La Esmeralda is likely familiar to many of you. It's a world-class coffee estate and one of the most historic coffee farms. It holds the record for the highest cupping score in Best of Panama (BOP). In 2016, La Esmeralda's Green Tip Geisha set a record with an exceptional score of 94.15 in the BOP's Washed category. The estate's owners, the Lamastus family, also own the equally world-famous El Burro Estate and the rising star Luito Estate. Therefore, El Burro Estate and La Esmeralda share the same parentage.

With the same parentage, why does one have a pleasant name like "La Esmeralda" while the other has a livestock name "El Burro"? El Burro Estate has a history of nearly 100 years. It was named after donkeys (El Burro) because the original location of the estate was used for raising livestock.

Can coffee beans be grown well on land previously used for raising livestock?

Not only can they be grown well, but the quality of the coffee beans produced is exceptionally high. El Burro Estate is located in the Boquete region of Chiriqui Province, Panama. The estate covers approximately 50 hectares, with 20 hectares planted with Geisha and Catuai, 10 hectares as a designated planting reserve area, while the remaining area is protected as part of the Baru Volcano National Forest Park. At an altitude of about 1,700-1,800 meters, the terrain in this area is steep, with numerous native tree species serving as shade trees, and is often shrouded in clouds and mist, effectively extending the coffee growing cycle. The soil is volcanic, with high potassium and phosphorus content and rich in organic matter.

At the 2016 Japan Barista Championship, a barista from Maruyama Coffee won first place using washed Geisha from El Burro Estate!

El Burro Estate was nearly sold in the past

El Burro Estate was established by Amado Boutet, the grandfather of the current Lamastus family heir, Wilford Lamastus. The grandfather's father, Aristides Boutet, was a French immigrant who came to Panama in the early 19th century. When global coffee market prices plummeted, the grandfather's family had no choice but to sell large portions of their coffee estates.

Mr. Wilford and his brother Patrick Lamastus couldn't bear to see their family's coffee estates sold off, so they purchased El Burro Estate to continue its operation. To ensure the estate's operation and support their family, Mr. Wilford and his brother had to take on other jobs to earn additional income. Today, the persistently operated El Burro Estate has become a renowned coffee estate that has achieved outstanding results in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition.

In brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a research-oriented coffee house dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unconditional sharing is aimed at helping more friends fall in love with coffee. Moreover, we hold three discounted coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

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