Nav: Home > Coffee >

What Are the Famous Estates in Panama's Volcán Region? What Are the Characteristics of Hartmann Estate?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, When it comes to Geisha, many people think of Panama Geisha, famous for its delicate floral aromas, jasmine notes, and peach-like fragrance. In fact, the Geisha variety first arrived in Panama as early as the 20th century, but due to its fragile plants, it wasn't favored by farmers and wasn't widely cultivated. It wasn't until it was

When speaking of Geisha, many people think of Panamanian Geisha, famous for its delicate floral aromas, jasmine, and peach-like fragrances. In fact, the Geisha variety originally arrived in Panama in the 20th century, but due to the fragility of the plants, it was not favored by farmers and was not widely cultivated. It wasn't until Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered the unique characteristics of Geisha that the variety participated in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition and auction in 2005, winning first place with outstanding results, which made the Geisha variety famous in the coffee world.

Later, Geisha began to be widely cultivated in Panama, giving rise to many renowned estates in the three major coffee regions of Panama: Boquete, Volcán-Candela, and Renacimiento. When mentioning famous estates in Panama, many people might think of Hacienda La Esmeralda, Elida Estate, or Janson Estate, but there are actually many other historically famous estates, such as Finca Hartmann.

Finca Hartmann is named after the Hartmann family and was established by Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann). The life of this estate owner was quite tumultuous: born in Czech Republic in 1891, but during World War I, his two older brothers died in succession on the battlefield, so his mother hid Hartmann in a ship's cabin and took him to the United States. Later, in 1911, when Hartmann was 20 years old, he traveled with friends to Chiriquí Province in Panama and decided to settle there. In 1912, he established an estate in the primeval forest of Volcán-Candela and began coffee cultivation.

Later, he married and had a son named Hartmann Troetsch. Beginning in 1940, Troetsch inherited his father's farm and took over the work. Today, it is managed by the third generation, Hartmann Ratibor, who operates the estate along with his five brothers, each managing different aspects of the estate. The entire Hartmann family collectively runs Finca Hartmann, and due to its long history, Finca Hartmann can be considered a pioneer in the Volcán-Candela region.

Volcán-Candela is located in Chiriquí Province in western Panama. Like the Boquete region, it surrounds the country's famous volcano, Chiriquí Volcano (also known as Volcán Baru), and similarly benefits from the fertile soil brought by volcanic ash.

Additionally, the Volcán-Candela region has the northern mountain range as a barrier, making it difficult for Atlantic moisture to reach the area. Therefore, this region is relatively drier, but it enjoys abundant rainfall with an annual precipitation of approximately 3500 millimeters. It is also located near La Amistad International Park, with vast tropical rainforests that create an exceptional microclimate. Coffee is primarily cultivated at elevations between 1500-2300 meters.

Finca Hartmann places great emphasis on the conservation of the original forest, adhering to the principle of not clearing or deforesting. Currently, the coffee cultivation area within the estate accounts for only about 20% of the total land. Coffee is grown under shade cultivation using entirely organic methods throughout the process. Due to forest conservation, the estate is home to numerous native bird species, and the locally famous toucan has become the estate's official logo.

Furthermore, Finca Hartmann has published two books and numerous papers with themes of bird-friendliness and shade-grown cultivation. The estate has a professionally equipped laboratory and sample roasting room, cupping each batch of coffee with a rigorous attitude and strict standards to ensure consistent quality and promote continuous improvement. This is why Finca Hartmann and its affiliated estates consistently appear on the BOP leaderboard.

Currently, Finca Hartmann includes estates such as Ojo de Agua, Manantial, Finca Momoto, Mi Finquita, Rocky Mountain Coffee (RMC), and Guarumo Coffee Farm. They cultivate a wide variety of coffee types including Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Pacamara, Maragogipe, and Geisha.

FrontStreet Coffee naturally sources coffee from such a historically significant estate, selecting anaerobic natural processed Geisha coffee beans from Finca Hartmann. Roasted to a medium-light level, it reveals white floral aromas when brewed. On the palate, it offers complex and varied fruit acidity with flavors of bergamot, pineapple, and blueberry. The texture is silky and smooth, reminiscent of Earl Grey tea, with a persistent sweet aftertaste.