Panamanian Geisha Coffee Estates: Deborah Estate's Volcán Region & CM Carbon Dioxide Maceration Explained

BOP, or Best of Panama, is the most prestigious green coffee competition in Panama. This annual event brings together numerous renowned Panama estates for a fierce competition. Winners not only receive well-deserved recognition but also gain substantial income through post-competition auctions. Therefore, participating in BOP is a universally beneficial choice for all Panama coffee estates.

However, there exists one estate in Panama that never participates in this reputation-enhancing BOP competition. Despite this, its fame rivals that of the renowned estates that shine in the competition. So today, FrontStreet Coffee continues to share the legendary story of a top-tier Geisha estate from Panama! And the protagonist of this story is none other than—Finca Deborah.

Finca Deborah was established in 2006 by Mr. Jamison Savage. Like most Panama coffee estate owners, Mr. Jamison Savage is not a native Panamanian. Born in the United States, he originally worked as a banker. It wasn't until he met and married his Panamanian wife that he immigrated to Panama and began his career in the coffee industry.

Exceptional Terroir

Finca Deborah is situated in the Volcán region, one of Panama's three major coffee-growing areas, nestled deep within the tropical rainforest of the fertile Barú Volcano region. Not only does it boast rich volcanic soil, but it also receives abundant rainfall—up to 2200mm annually. With an elevation exceeding 1900 meters, Finca Deborah is one of the few high-altitude estates in Panama. This remarkable elevation means the estate is perpetually shrouded in clouds and mist, significantly reducing sunshine hours. Such an environment provides ideal growing conditions for the delicate and precious Geisha variety.

Thanks to the high altitude, Finca Deborah experiences considerable temperature fluctuations between day and night. Nighttime temperatures can drop as low as 10°C! The cold environment slows down the maturation process of coffee cherries while compelling coffee plants to accumulate more small molecular weight substances to lower their freezing point and resist the cold. These substances are precisely what make the coffee sweeter.

Biodynamic Farming Practices

In the coffee cultivation process, Mr. Savage adheres to one principle: using the most natural methods to grow delicious coffee! He completely avoids using gas-powered machinery, chemical pesticides, and herbicides. This approach has a professional name—Biodynamics. Biodynamics is a comprehensive organic agricultural system that treats the entire farm's ecosystem as a whole, maximizing the use of natural cycles and biodiversity to nurture crops. Therefore, in addition to coffee trees and other plants, you can also see groups of livestock at Finca Deborah, which play important roles in the farm's operation.

However, not all estates can implement such cultivation methods because without pesticide spraying, coffee crops are highly susceptible to pest and disease infestations. Fortunately, Finca Deborah's high elevation provides natural protection—the lower temperatures at high altitudes are unsuitable for pests, fungi, and other diseases to thrive. This allows Mr. Savage to fully implement biodynamic farming methods! It's worth noting that when the estate was first established, many people were skeptical. After all, the altitude was simply too high, and coffee trees dislike cold temperatures, making them vulnerable to frost that could result in complete crop loss. Fortunately, Mr. Savage persisted, leading the estate to its current achievements.

The Savage Coffee Project

Although Finca Deborah doesn't participate in BOP, we often see competitors from different countries using beans from Finca Deborah to achieve outstanding results in world coffee competitions. Alongside the Finca Deborah name, we also see the "Savage Series" accompanying these appearances. Savage? This name might sound familiar to many friends. That's right! It's the name of Finca Deborah's owner! In addition to managing Finca Deborah, Mr. Jamison Savage established a brand named after him—the Savage Coffee Project.

Due to Finca Deborah's limited production capacity, Mr. Savage hoped to implement more experiments and share more high-quality coffee with the market. Therefore, he created the Savage Coffee project, naming it after himself, which demonstrates his commitment to this project. This project focuses on sourcing high-quality coffee (primarily Geisha) from estates collaborating with Finca Deborah and small farmers near the estate, then processing these beans using Finca Deborah's coffee processing techniques before categorizing and selling them!

Three Product Series

Mr. Savage divides his products into three series: the "Ascesin Series," the "Savage Anthologies," and the "Savage Fundamentals." The Ascesin Series mainly sells experimental micro-lot coffee beans, with limited production due to their small-batch nature. The Savage Anthologies collection features Geisha from four estates under the Deborah family or collaborating with them, often referred to as the Geisha Series. The Savage Fundamentals collection includes Geisha from surrounding small farmers, as well as some non-Geisha varieties grown and processed by the estate itself!

The Anthologies series beans are what we most commonly encounter from this brand in our daily lives! The four estates producing Geisha for this series are: Finca Deborah, Finca Morgan, Finca Iris, and Finca Don Eduardo. Beyond the estates, Mr. Savage further categorizes these Geishas based on their different processing methods: Traditional Category, Anaerobic Fermentation Category, Yeast Category, and CM Category. If you order in larger quantities, you can even request custom-processed batches from the estate!

Carbonic Maceration: The CM Method

Let's focus on CM! The full name of CM is "Carbonic Maceration," which translates to carbon dioxide maceration—it's Mr. Savage's signature technique! He drew inspiration from the wine industry and collaborated with other renowned experts to develop carbonic maceration and anaerobic processing, sparking a revolutionary transformation in global coffee processing. Therefore! To taste this successful delicacy, FrontStreet Coffee specially sourced a CM-processed Geisha from the Savage Anthologies series to experience it firsthand!

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama · Finca Deborah · Savage Series Geisha Illumination
Country: Panama
Region: Volcán
Estate: Finca Morgan
Elevation: 1850 meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing: Carbonic Maceration Washed

Flavor: Longan, sugarcane, green grapes, guava, oolong tea aroma

As we can see from the information, this Geisha comes from "Finca Morgan." Finca Morgan is a collaborative estate between Mr. Jamison Savage and the Morgan family, currently managed by Mr. Savage. This estate is also located in the Volcán region, at an elevation of 1850 meters, covering 5 hectares with approximately 2000 coffee trees per hectare. Many friends may notice that the Geisha name includes a new term—"Illumination." Illumination is the unique name Mr. Savage gave to this processing method, which is a carbonic maceration washed processing style!

This processing method is quite distinctive! After harvesting, the coffee cherries undergo floatation selection, then the selected cherries are placed in sealed barrels. Next, carbon dioxide is injected into the barrels to assist fermentation! After fermentation completes, the washed processing follows: removing the coffee cherry's skin and pulp, then sun-drying to the specified moisture content. This processing method not only enhances the original flavor expression but also achieves exceptional cleanliness. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee employed a medium-light roast to prepare this specially processed Geisha! This allows the Geisha's flavors to be presented more completely. Eight hours after roasting, FrontStreet Coffee used cupping to experience the marvelous taste of this Geisha.

In the aroma assessment stage, FrontStreet Coffee detected some spicy notes, sparking imagination about the coffee's flavor! This was followed by the fresh fragrance of citrus peel and green grapes. After breaking the crust, the tasting began—upon sipping, the abundant sweetness of sugarcane was immediately apparent, followed by the delightfully sweet flavors of snow pear and longan. In the finish, the elegant aroma of oolong tea emerged, with exceptional cleanliness, smooth and light mouthfeel, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

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