Lamastus Estate's Three Major Farms: Don Pachi Estate Natural Geisha, Elida Estate from Boquete Growing Region, Panama, Baru Volcano Climate Environment

In 1925, a French immigrant who had moved to Panama purchased a piece of land in Boquete for coffee cultivation. Since this location was previously used for livestock raising, Mr. Aristides Boutet, who bought the land, named the estate "Don Pachi Estate" (meaning "Donkey Estate").

In just over half a year, Don Pachi Estate will join Elida Estate in becoming a century-renowned coffee estate, marking it as the second centenary farm under the Lamastus family. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to this Don Pachi Estate, which is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Don Pachi Estate

Don Pachi Estate is located in the Baru Volcano mountain range of Boquete, Panama. As you may have noticed, many renowned Panamanian coffee estates are concentrated here. This is because the region boasts exceptional terroir resources, such as Panama's unique microclimate!

Looking at the map, we can see that Panama's terrain extends from east to west in an S-shape. Every winter, two air currents collide in the high-altitude areas of the central mountain range! One is the cold current from Florida, USA, moving from north to south, while the other is the warm, moist air current from the Pacific Ocean, moving from west to north.

When these two distinctly different air currents collide, they create variable wind patterns and frequent rainfall locally. The formation of these climate conditions provides the region with temperatures and precipitation levels perfectly suited for plant cultivation! This is why people often say this is Panama's unique and important resource. Since Don Pachi Estate is located near these mountains, it also benefits from this climate.

In addition, we must mention the Baru Volcano, as Panama's main coffee-producing areas are centered around this volcano. The fertile volcanic soil is rich in organic matter, and the presence of potassium, phosphorus, and other elements helps provide abundant nutrients for coffee growth, resulting in more exceptional coffee flavors. Therefore, this land also enjoys the reputation of being a "coffee paradise."

History of Don Pachi Estate

Mr. Aristides Boutet was not only the founder of Don Pachi Estate but also the grandfather of Mr. Wilford Lamastus from the Lamastus family. It is precisely because of this relationship that Don Pachi Estate became part of the Lamastus family's portfolio.

For a long period in the past, the coffee market experienced oversupply, leading to persistently low coffee prices. Many estate owners couldn't survive this difficult period and had to sell their coffee estates, including Mr. Aristides Boutet. However, Mr. Wilford and his brother Patrick Lamastus couldn't bear to see Don Pachi Estate fall into outsiders' hands, so they purchased it and continued its operation.

Estate Details

Don Pachi Estate is slightly smaller than Elida Estate, covering only about 50 hectares, but it's still quite a substantial piece of land. Like most estates located in the Boquete region, part of Don Pachi Estate is situated within Panama's National Forest Park. Since the forest is protected by the state and logging is strictly prohibited, this portion of the estate cannot be used for coffee cultivation, approximately 20 hectares.

After removing the 20 hectares that cannot be cultivated, the Lamastus family allocates the remaining 30 hectares as follows: 10 hectares as a reserved area for future planting and 20 hectares for coffee bean cultivation, primarily growing Geisha and Catuai varieties.

Rise to Prominence

However, considering the situation at that time, the Lamastus family's operation was not optimistic. To ensure the estate could continue operating and maintain their daily lives, the family had to engage in other work to secure their livelihood and obtain funds to run the farm.

With the Lamastus family's persistence, the estate finally overcame its difficulties and embraced its own springtime. Since 2015, Don Pachi Estate has continuously won awards, becoming a renowned coffee estate that frequently achieves excellent results in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition. In 2016, a competitor from Maruyama Coffee in Japan even used Don Pachi Estate's Geisha to win the championship!

Don Pachi Estate Geisha

So, FrontStreet Coffee has brought in another Geisha from Don Pachi Estate to taste its deliciousness! That's right! We just couldn't resist! This Geisha uses natural processing. The natural processing method involves drying the entire coffee fruit, including both the pulp and the husk, directly under the sun. It is then dried until the moisture content reaches a certain range, which typically takes about 2-4 weeks. Finally, a hulling machine is used to remove the husk surrounding the beans, and the green bean processing is complete!

Coffee beans processed using the natural method will have richer and fuller flavor layers, so FrontStreet Coffee will use a medium-light roast for this Geisha to better showcase its exceptional flavors.

Coffee Details

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Don Pachi Estate Geisha

Country: Panama
Region: Boquete
Altitude: 1,800 meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing Method: Natural
Grade: SHB
Flavor Notes: Green grapes, apricot, floral notes, dried longan, orange

Eight hours after roasting, FrontStreet Coffee immediately conducted a cupping session! In terms of dry aroma, this natural processed Geisha from Don Pachi Estate emits rich orange and floral fragrances. After breaking the crust and tasting, we can experience the rounded acidity of green grapes and apricot presented by this Geisha, the high sweetness of orange and dried longan, accompanied throughout by delicate floral notes and a slight fermentation sensation. As the temperature decreases, the sweet and sour taste of orange becomes even more pronounced!

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