Panama Coffee Beans | Introduction to Volcán 90+ Company Finca Geisha Juliet Coffee Beans

Panamanian coffee enjoys high recognition in the global coffee market, especially the Geisha variety. As early as the late 19th century, European immigrants brought coffee to Panama when they settled there. In 2005, the Geisha grown by Hacienda La Esmeralda won the Best of Panama (BOP) competition and was auctioned at a high price, making both Panamanian coffee and the Geisha variety famous in the coffee world.

Panamanian Coffee

Panama's ability to produce such high-quality coffee is inseparable from its geographical environment and unique climate. Located in the southern part of Central America, Panama features varied terrain with numerous valleys. Apart from the coastal plains in the north and south, most of the country is mountainous. Panama is rich in forest resources, with forests and woodlands covering 43% of its territory.

Due to its proximity to the equator, Panama has a tropical maritime climate with humid days and cool nights. The average annual temperature ranges from 23-27°C, and the year is divided into dry and rainy seasons, with an average annual rainfall of 1500-2500 millimeters. Additionally, due to the country's east-to-west orientation, cold air currents flow through areas above 1900 meters in the Central Mountain Range, creating various microclimates in the Boquete and Volcán regions. Coffee is primarily grown in the volcanic areas near Chiriquí Province in western Panama, where fertile volcanic soil, high altitude, moderate rainfall, and microclimates make it an excellent coffee-producing region.

Volcán Region

Today, Panama has three main coffee-growing regions: Boquete, Volcán, and Renacimiento, all located in Chiriquí Province and surrounded by three volcanoes. The most famous is the Boquete region, which hosts many renowned coffee estates such as Hacienda La Esmeralda, Elida Estate, and Duncan Estate.

The Volcán region is located on the eastern side of the Barú Volcano, distinguishing it from the Boquete region, which is also situated near the Barú Volcano. The northern part of the Volcán region is blocked by mountain barriers, making it difficult for Atlantic moisture to reach, resulting in a drier climate in this region. With abundant sunshine, coffee is grown in fertile volcanic soil at altitudes between 1200-1800 meters. Although the Volcán region is not as well-known as the Boquete region, in recent years, coffee from Volcán has gradually made a name for itself in the specialty coffee market. Coffee estates from the Volcán region have also begun to make their mark at BOP competitions, with renowned producers including 90+ Geisha Estate, Hartmann Estate, and Janson Estate.

90+ Company

90+ (Ninety Plus) is the name of an American green coffee company founded in 2006 by Joseph Brodsky, who was inspired by the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda at that time. However, in coffee cupping, 90+ represents coffees that score above 90 points for exceptional quality and flavor. Therefore, many believe that the 90+ company only produces coffee scoring above 90 points. This is also attributed to the Profile Processing production system established by the 90+ company.

Conventional green coffee merchants typically conduct cupping tests when purchasing coffee beans and then acquire those with desirable flavors, essentially reselling high-quality green beans produced by others. Initially, the 90+ company was small and lacked sufficient funds to engage in cultivation, so it also purchased coffee cherries from surrounding farmers and processed them at its own processing plant. However, with its unique processing methods, the 90+ company produced two coffee varieties, Aricha and Beloya, which gained tremendous market response due to their extremely rich fruit flavors, bringing the 90+ company considerable fame and increased revenue. With more capital available, the company began to get involved in green coffee production, selecting potential farmers and providing them with varying degrees of suggestions and technical support to better assist the company. Following the Profile Processing system established by the founder at the company's inception in 2006, instead of directly purchasing green beans, the company focused on the selection and processing of coffee beans, with strict selection for each production batch. This ensured that the quality of 90+ company's beans remained at a high level.

90+ Estates

By 2009, 90+ had accumulated years of technology and experience and established the 90+ Geisha Estate in Panama's Volcán region. Since they had not found a variety comparable to Geisha in Ethiopia earlier, they decided to cultivate Geisha and apply their techniques to it. By 2014, this estate began producing coffee beans, giving rise to the 90+ series. Later, in 2019, the 90+ company acquired another plot of land and established a new 90+ estate. Due to its proximity to the Barú Volcano, it was named Ninety Plus Barú Estates. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee offers two 90+ series coffee beans from the Geisha Estate: Juliet Geisha and Eleta Geisha. Although both belong to the 90+ processing method, and while the 90+ company has not disclosed the specific processing details, FrontStreet Coffee speculates after cupping that they use anaerobic processing methods.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama 90+ Geisha Juliet Coffee Beans

Region: Volcán Region

Estate/Processing Station: 90+ Geisha Estate, Ninety Plus

Altitude: 1400-1800 meters

Variety: Geisha

Processing Method: 90+ Processing Method

Flavor Notes: Muscat grape, champagne, perfumed lemon, fruit wine

This 90+ Geisha Juliet from FrontStreet Coffee is medium roasted. FrontStreet Coffee uses V60 with a 1:15 ratio and 92°C water temperature for brewing. It emits a muscat grape-like aroma, with perfumed lemon-like acidity and flavors of grape and champagne upon entry. As the temperature slightly decreases, fruit wine-like notes emerge, offering a sweet, rich, and complex flavor with an endless aftertaste.

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