Flavor Profile and Brewing Parameters for Panama BOP Champion Finca Guadelupe Natural Process Geisha Coffee Beans

Best of Panama 2022: Guarumo Farm's Geisha Triumph

The results of the 2022 Best of Panama (BOP) competition are in. In this 26th edition of the BOP green coffee competition, the washed Geisha category was won by Panama's Aurora Estate, while the natural Geisha category was claimed by the Hartmann family's Guarumo Farm. Before the competition began, FrontStreet Coffee acquired a batch of 2022-harvest natural Geisha beans from Guarumo Farm. In this article, we follow FrontStreet Coffee in exploring what makes these Geisha beans so special.

Guarumo Farm: The Hartmann Family's Newest Gem

Guarumo Coffee Farm sits north of the Hartmann Estate in the Santa Clara region of Chiriqui Province, Panama. It was purchased in 2013 by Ratibor Hartmann, third-generation manager of the Hartmann family, and spans just four hectares. The estate grows nothing but the Geisha variety, at an altitude above 1750m.

The Hartmann Family Legacy

The Hartmann family's story in Panama is a long history of European immigration. Alois Strasil Hartmann, the family's ancestor, was born in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in the region that is now the Czech Republic. Unstable political conditions at home pushed him to build a new life abroad. Alois first stayed in New York before eventually making his way to Panama, but after several months he found he couldn't adapt to urban life in Panama City.

Adventure ran in his blood. Shortly after quitting his job, he followed the mountain line to the Volcan region to work and settle down. During this time he married his first wife, Susana Troetsch, and they had Hartmann Troetsch, the founder of Hartmann Estate. From 1940 onward, Hartmann Troetsch inherited his father's farmland, began preparing the land, and set in motion the history of Hartmann Estate that continues to this day.

The first-generation ancestor Alois Strasil Hartmann initially established coffee-growing areas in Panama's Volcan region. Later, the second generation, Hartmann Troetsch, moved coffee cultivation to the Santa Clara region and formally established Hartmann Estate.

During those early years, Hartmann Troetsch decided to preserve most of the original forest land within the estate, a commitment to native forest protection that still shapes the thinking of current third-generation manager Ratibor Hartmann. Today, Hartmann Estate maintains the tradition, with coffee cultivation accounting for only about 20% of the entire property. Thanks to the success of that forest protection, the estate is home to numerous native birds, and the locally famous toucan naturally became the estate's emblem.

Beyond their own estate, the Hartmann family also manages nearby properties, including Ninety Plus's Panamanian estates and Finca La Mula.

The BOP Success Story

Although Guarumo is the family's newest estate, this isn't its first BOP championship. In 2020, Guarumo Farm's natural Geisha won over a panel of judges with its enchanting jasmine, rose, champagne, candy, and bergamot flavors.

Because the estate had done little promotion, that year it emerged like a dark horse and captured everyone's attention. This year, Guarumo Farm's natural Geisha once again proved its strength, winning the natural Geisha category at the 26th BOP competition.

FrontStreet Coffee's Geisha Experience

The batch of Guarumo Farm natural Geisha that FrontStreet Coffee acquired isn't from the competition lot, but it does come from the new 2022 harvest. To preserve the enchanting tropical fruit and floral notes of this natural Geisha, FrontStreet Coffee used a light roast.

Through cupping comparison, this natural-process Geisha from Guarumo Farm shows dry notes of mango and strawberry after grinding. On the palate it presents mango, pineapple, white floral notes, sugary fruit candy, and a malty fermentation sweetness somewhat reminiscent of beer. The overall complexity is remarkably rich.

Because this Guarumo natural Geisha is grown at high altitude, the beans themselves are denser, and the light roast didn't significantly change that density. As a result, a medium-fine grind (78% passing through a China No. 20 standard sieve) and a higher water temperature work well for extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over parameters: V60/cone-shaped filter, 15g of grounds, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, a fine-sugar consistency / medium-fine grind (78% passing through a China No. 20 standard sieve), and a water temperature of 90-91°C.

Using a three-stage circular pour: first, use 30g of water to fully moisten the coffee bed into a "hamburger" shape and let it bloom for 30s before moving to the second stage. FrontStreet used a steady medium-fine stream to pour in circles up to 125g, then stopped. When the water level dropped to two-thirds of the coffee bed, the third stage began: continue with a medium-fine circular pour up to 225g and finish, for a total extraction time of 2'18".

FrontStreet Coffee's Guarumo Farm natural Geisha flavor profile: the entry brings mango and pineapple in a composite, juice-like aroma and acidity; the middle shows white floral notes and a malty fermentation sweetness, with a fruit-candy-like aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this champion Geisha has you craving the variety at home, there's a range of ways to explore it. FrontStreet Coffee's Emerald Estate Red Label Geisha is the pinnacle of the Panama profile, grown at 1600-1800m with each lot cupping above 90 points, delivering jasmine, citrus, bergamot, and black-tea-like refinement. For a more affordable way to taste the classic Panama Geisha character, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Geisha offers the signature orange-blossom-honey sweetness and delicate fruit acidity of a high-quality Geisha at an accessible price.

The variety also thrives in its homeland. FrontStreet Coffee's Grana Estate Geisha comes from Ethiopia and shows a brighter fruit acidity with elegant white florals, orange, guava, and citrus. For those who want the Geisha experience in a drink that's easy to brew year-round, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy Blend pairs Costa Rican honey-process coffee with Panama Geisha, bringing both fine florals and sweet fruit together and working equally well in a pour-over, moka pot, espresso machine, or cold brew.