Introduction to Elida, Don Pepe, and Luisito Estates: 2024 BOP Best Producer Award Winners

Panama Coffee: Global Recognition and Geographic Advantages

Panama coffee enjoys extremely high recognition in the global coffee market. Beyond being famous for the renowned Geisha variety, this reputation is also inseparable from the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP), which designed and organizes BOP (Best Of Panama).

Since launching the first BOP in 1996, Panama has consistently produced high-quality coffee that fetched premium prices at subsequent auctions, enabling Panamanian producers to gain greater exposure to the international community and build their reputation. By 2005, Geisha emerged with its exceptional flavor and performance, propelling this variety to instant fame.

Furthermore, the ability to cultivate premium coffee is inseparable from Panama's geographical environment. The entire territory of Panama features varied terrain with numerous valleys. Apart from the coastal plains, most areas are mountainous. The country boasts abundant forest and river resources, multiple volcanoes, and proximity to the equator, resulting in a tropical maritime climate. Days are humid while nights are cool, with average annual temperatures ranging between 23°C-27°C and average annual rainfall of 1500-2500 millimeters. Influenced by its geography, Panama has complex and variable microclimates, all of which provide ideal growing conditions for coffee trees.

Coffee Growing Regions

The main coffee growing regions are divided into Boquete, Volcan-Candela, and Renacimiento.

Boquete can be considered Panama's most renowned coffee growing region, as it hosts numerous famous estates. At the 2024 Best of Panama (BOP), a new Producer of the Year award was introduced, which was won by the Lamastus family. This family owns Elida Estate, El Burro Estate, and Luito Estate - all three located in the Boquete region.

Notable Coffee Estates

Elida Estate

The farm's history can be traced back to 1918. This farm is owned by the Lamastus family, and the name Elida comes from the name of the farm owner Robert Louis Lamastus's wife at that time. It is currently inherited by his son Wilford Lamastus.

Elida Estate covers a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half located within the Baru Volcano National Park. Of the estate's 65 hectares, 30 are planted with coffee trees, while the remaining 35 hectares consist of primary forest. The coffee is grown at altitudes ranging from 1670 to 1850 meters, making it one of the two highest altitude coffee estates in Panama. The estate primarily cultivates premium coffee varieties such as Geisha, Typica, and Caturra. At this year's BOP, Elida Estate's Geisha won the natural process category with a score of 95.13 points.

El Burro Estate

This estate was established by Amado Boutet, the grandfather of the current Lamastus family successor - Mr. Wilford Lamastus. However, due to depressed coffee market prices at the time, his grandfather once considered selling the coffee estate. Mr. Wilford and his brother Patrick Lamastus couldn't bear to see the family's coffee estate sold, so they purchased El Burro Estate to continue its operation. The original estate location was a livestock farm, which is why it was named "El Burro" (The Donkey).

The estate is located in the southern part, at elevations between 1550 and 1800 meters, covering approximately 50 hectares. Of this, 20 hectares are planted with Geisha and Catuai, 10 hectares are reserved for future planting, while the remaining area consists of protected primary forest within the Baru Volcano National Forest Park, preserving the original forest ecosystem.

Luito Estate

Luito Estate is owned by Luito Lamastus, the brother of Elida Estate owner Wilford Lamastus. This estate is the northernmost coffee plantation in Boquete, located near the mountains, with part of the estate situated within La Amistad International Park.

This estate is relatively small, only 5 hectares in size, at elevations between 1600-1750 meters, growing only the Geisha variety. The rainfall pattern in the estate's region is very unique, with sufficient rainfall during the dry season allowing coffee to grow year-round. Due to the rainfall and microclimate, this farm's flowering period differs from most farms in Boquete.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Elida Estate Catuai

Origin: Boquete Region
Altitude: 1850 meters
Variety: Catuai
Processing: Natural
Flavor Notes: Peach, Raisin, Orange, Caramel, Green Tea

This Catuai coffee bean from Panama's Elida Estate, offered by FrontStreet Coffee, uses natural processing and is lightly to medium roasted. FrontStreet Coffee brews it using V60 with a 1:15 ratio at 92°C water temperature. After brewing, the cup is smooth with distinct peach, raisin, orange, and caramel flavors, complemented by a green tea-like finish and a clean mouthfeel.

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