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Introduction to Panama Coffee Regions, Boquete Region, Elida Estate, and Elida Typica

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Panama coffee enjoys extremely high recognition in the global coffee market, especially for the Geisha variety. In 2005, through the Best of Panama competition and auction, Geisha emerged with outstanding results, breaking the coffee auction record of that time. Therefore, in many people's impression, all Panama coffee is planted with Geisha varieties

Panama Coffee: A Global Specialty Coffee Leader

Panama coffee enjoys extremely high recognition in the global coffee market, especially the Geisha variety. In 2005, Geisha distinguished itself with outstanding performance through the Best of Panama competition and auction, breaking the coffee auction record of that time. Therefore, many people have the impression that Panamanian coffee is mainly planted with Geisha, but in fact, other coffee varieties are also cultivated in Panama.

Ideal Growing Conditions

The entire territory of Panama features undulating terrain with crisscrossing valleys. Besides the coastal plains in the north and south, most areas are mountainous. Located near the equator, Panama has a tropical marine climate with humid days and cool nights, with an average annual temperature of 23-27°C. The year is divided into dry and rainy seasons, with an average annual precipitation of 1500-2500 millimeters, providing excellent conditions for coffee cultivation.

Boquete Growing Region

The main coffee growing areas are Boquete, Volcán, and Renacimiento, all located in Chiriquí Province. The most famous landmark in this province is Volcán Barú, one of the highest volcanoes in Central America. Among these regions, Boquete is the most renowned growing area.

The Boquete growing region derives its name from Boquete City, located near Costa Rica with fertile soil. The microclimate found in the highlands of Boquete is a unique resource that makes the region's specialty coffee exceptional. The east-to-west environment allows cold air currents to converge above 1900 meters through the mountains, creating various microclimates that make the area's temperature and rainfall highly suitable for plant growth. Combined with volcanic soil, coffee trees planted in this region grow exceptionally well. There are many famous estates in this region, such as Elida and Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Elida Estate

Elida Estate covers a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half located within the Barú Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares of the estate are used for coffee cultivation, while the remainder remains pristine forest. The coffee is grown at altitudes between 1670-1850 meters, making it one of the two highest altitude coffee estates in Panama. In such high-altitude environments, low temperatures delay the maturation period of coffee cherries, while fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients. Combined with the unique microclimate of this region, Elida Estate has achieved excellent results in BOP (Best of Panama) competitions multiple times.

Elida Estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountain, allowing coffee cherries to be transported to the facility for processing immediately after harvesting, ensuring cherry quality. Furthermore, Elida Estate employs manual picking of the most mature cherries. Due to the high maturity of the fruit, the sugar content in the mucilage is also higher. Currently, the main varieties cultivated at Elida Estate are Catuai, Typica, and Geisha.

Typica Variety

Typica is one of the oldest varieties of Arabica coffee discovered today. Typica beans are elongated with oval-shaped fruits. Its characteristics include very low yield, susceptibility to major coffee diseases, but high quality and adaptation to cold regions. It is primarily grown in Central America.

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Typica coffee beans come from the Boquete growing region, processed at Elida Estate at an altitude of 1850 meters. This Typica variety undergoes natural processing, resulting in flavors of peach, raisin, orange, caramel, and green tea.

FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Estate coffee beans use natural processing. When brewed using V60 with a 1:15 ratio, you'll notice a slight wine aroma brought by the natural processing. On the palate, you'll experience flavors of peach, raisin, and orange, with caramel-like sweetness and a green tea-like mouthfeel, displaying high clarity.