Introduction to Panama Boquete Coffee Growing Region - Panama Coffee Bean Flavor Characteristics and Taste Evaluation

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Panama's Geisha coffee is world-renowned for its limited quantity and exceptional quality. FrontStreet Coffee also greatly enjoys roasting Panama Geisha, as its superior quality saves considerable effort in the roasting process. However, on the other hand, due to the expensive price of Geisha green beans, FrontStreet Coffee handles them with extra care. Fortunately, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters possess extensive experience and typically design three to five different approaches based on the characteristics of the coffee beans, then select the best roasting curve through cupping to present to customers. Many customers who visit FrontStreet Coffee to taste Geisha praise its flavor remarkably, while also wondering why Panama Geisha coffee beans have such excellent quality. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will address this most intriguing question and guide you through this renowned coffee-producing country in Central America.

Panama Coffee Growing Regions

Panama is a small country located at the center of the American continent, with a total area of 75,517 square kilometers. Its "S"-shaped geography connects North and South America, bordering Colombia to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the south, Costa Rica to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the north. Premium coffee is grown in the western part of the country.

In terms of climate, Panama is near the equator and has a tropical marine climate, with humid days and cool nights, and an average annual temperature of 23-27°C. The year is divided into dry and rainy seasons, with an average annual rainfall of 1,500-2,500 mm. The most famous coffee is produced in the Boquet region of Chiriqui province, Panama, with areas like Volcán, Santa Clara, and Candela also being well-known. Other regions include the David, Remacimeinto, Bugaba, and Tole districts. Only coffee grown at altitudes between 1,300 and 1,500 meters is considered specialty coffee.

There are three main cultivation methods in Panama's Boquet region: sun-grown plantations, fully shade-grown plantations, and semi-shade-grown plantations. Plantations with more than 50 trees per hectare are considered fully shade-grown; those with 25-50 trees are semi-shade-grown, and those with fewer than 25 trees are called sun-grown plantations. So what impact does shade versus no shade have on coffee from two neighboring plantations under the same growing conditions?

Shade-grown plantations can slow down the maturation time of coffee cherries, allowing more flavor compounds to develop within the coffee cherries. Therefore, shade cultivation itself increases costs and reduces yield, but its coffee flavor is superior to semi-shade-grown plantations under the same growing conditions. Currently, most plantations in Colombia maintain a symbiotic state where coffee trees grow alongside banana trees. As Arabica varieties become increasingly dwarfed, the banana trees provide shade as they grow taller.

Coffee beans from Panama's estate coffees are mostly hand-picked specialty Arabica beans, with each batch being traceable. It's possible to trace which specific plot of an estate, which cooperative, or which farmer the beans came from, in pursuit of regional flavor characteristics. Only by visiting coffee origins and stepping into coffee estates can one understand the profound foundation of that hint of coffee, the captivating flavors, and the ever-changing aromas - whether they come from microclimate, variety, processing method, or the coffee farmer's secret techniques.

Hacienda La Esmeralda

Hacienda La Esmeralda is located at a corner of Baru Volcano. Therefore, the coffee beans produced in this area were mostly named after Baru Mountain before they became famous. The surrounding areas of Boquet feature beautiful scenery with many leisure hotels, vacation estates, and even developments along the important Rio Caldera river. Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in Jaramillo on the right side of this river, and later moved to grow coffee at even higher altitudes in the Canas Verdes area on the left side of the river. We must thank Rudolph Peterson for his decision to purchase this property at that time.

When speaking of Hacienda La Esmeralda, one must mention the "Red Label," "Green Label," and "Blue Label" grades of Geisha coffee beans. Although Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee production is low, its coffee quality has earned the reputation of "World's Best," becoming a star estate after winning the BOP championship in 2004. The four famous coffee brands of Hacienda La Esmeralda include: Esmeralda Special, Geisha, Diamond Mountain, and Palmyra.

FrontStreet Coffee Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Red Label

Region: Panama, Boquet
Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda, Mario Lot
Altitude: 1700+m
Variety: Geisha
Processing: Natural Process

The Red Label Geisha, also known as Esmeralda Special, is the finest product of Hacienda La Esmeralda. It selects Geisha beans grown at altitudes of 1,600-1,800 meters, with cupping scores above 90 points, from the two regions of Jaramillo and Canas Verdes. The Red Label available for bidding consists of Geisha batches from designated plots that are entered into Hacienda La Esmeralda's independent auction. However, there are also non-auction Red Labels on the market today, which are actually Geisha beans selected from the same plots but not entered into the auction, then circulated on the market. The variety and quality are consistent, with only differences in pricing.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (75% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

Segmented Extraction

Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When pouring with a small circular motion to 125g, create a segmentation. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description

Bright aromas of rose and citrus, with notes of brown rice, berries, apricot, complex fruits, and honey. It has a substantial juice-like texture with rich flavor layers and noticeable sweetness.

Elida Estate

The history of the estate can be traced back to 1918. This farm is owned by the Lamastus family, and the farm's name, Elida, was the name of the farm owner Robert Louis Lamastus's wife at that time. Elida Estate is located in the Boquet region, and its altitude is almost the highest in the entire country of Panama. Moreover, nearly half of its area is within a national protected park, making it a rare ultra-high-altitude estate in Central America! Elida Estate has a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half located within the Baru Volcano National Park range. Thirty hectares of the estate are planted with coffee trees, while the remaining 35 hectares are pristine forest. The coffee is grown at altitudes ranging from 1,670 to 1,850 meters, making it one of the two highest-altitude coffee estates in Panama (the other estate with similar altitude should be Carmen Estate in the Volcán valley).

The rugged Baru is a young volcano with an altitude exceeding 3,400 meters and is an active volcano. Due to the large temperature difference between morning and evening, coffee at Elida Estate requires 5 years of care after planting before the first harvest, making the waiting period for harvest quite long (typically only 3 years in most growing regions). Although plant growth is slower, it greatly benefits the development of coffee flavor. After entering the harvest period, the maturation time of coffee often exceeds one month due to temperature conditions. If hurricanes, heavy rain, or other irresistible factors occur shortly before maturation, despite knowing it would cause significant losses, the estate refuses to harvest prematurely because the beans haven't met their harvesting standards, leading to sharply reduced yields! The risks are actually much greater than those for lower-altitude estates.

Elida Estate mainly grows three varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The processing plant is located halfway up the mountain, allowing coffee to be transported to the factory immediately after picking to ensure the quality of the coffee cherries is not affected. Of course, Elida's environment is also suitable for growing other quality temperate crops, especially tree tomatoes and some uncommon high-altitude fruits. Interestingly, the flavors of these fruits can often be found in Elida's coffee as well.

In addition to the unique ultra-high altitude and microclimate, estate owner Mr. Wilford has also put considerable effort into harvesting and processing. To achieve the highest standards, Elida Estate's coffee is only allowed to be hand-picked from the most ripe coffee cherries ("Ripe on Pinton"). The high maturity of the fruit naturally results in higher sugar content in the mucilage, which is the foundation for producing Elida's superior flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Elida Estate Typica

Region: Panama, Boquet
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1,850 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing: Natural Process

In addition to being extremely strict with coffee cultivation and processing, estate owner Mr. Wilford is also more rigorous than his peers in the "purification" of green beans after processing. For Panama Elida, after green bean processing is completed, it requires more than 5 months of low-temperature resting to remove grassy notes, allowing the coffee's flavors to develop more balanced and full-bodied. (Low-temperature resting is a green bean purification concept strongly promoted by coffee master George Howell starting in 2006. We found that while green beans from subtropical regions need to be stored at low temperatures, different processing methods and altitudes change the required low-temperature resting time. For Panama Elida, 5 months of low-temperature resting is optimal.)

Cupping expert Ken Davids gave Elida Estate's coffee a high score of 93 points in 2012! Elida is also a frequent choice for competitors in the World Barista Championship (WBC) from various countries. In the finals of Taiwan's TBC (Taiwan Barista Championship) and China's CBC (China Barista Championship), contestants can often be seen using single-origin Elida for SOE espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 91°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (80% pass-through rate with #20 standard sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

Segmented Extraction

Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. When pouring with a small circular motion to 125g, create a segmentation. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description

Upon entry, one can clearly perceive flavors of peach, raisin, and orange. Gradually, sweetness of sucrose and melon emerges, with the finish carrying notes of grapefruit and green tea.

Hartmann Estate

Currently, Hartmann Estate is operated by the third generation of the family. Mr. Ratibor Hartmann and his four siblings each take on different roles in the estate. They live together on the estate and make a living by growing coffee.

The Hartmann family also manages and processes coffee for many estates in Panama, such as the frequent winner of Best of Panama, Finca La Mula, and 90+'s estate in Panama, all under the management of the Hartmann family. Although the estate maintains a low profile and is rarely seen at Best Of Panama events, their coffee is among the finest in Panama. The Hartmann family's contribution to Panama's coffee reputation today is indispensable.

Catuai is a hybrid variety of Mundo Novo and Caturra, with better resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. It inherits Caturra's advantage of short tree height, addressing Mundo Novo's shortcomings. Another advantage is its solid fruit set, which doesn't fall easily in strong winds, compensating for the fragile nature of Arabica cherries. However, its overall flavor performance is more monotonous than Caturra, and also lacks the body of Mundo Novo, which is its greatest regret.

FrontStreet Coffee Hartmann Estate Red Wine Process

Region: Panama, Volcán
Estate: Hartmann Estate
Altitude: 1,250-1,700m
Variety: Catuai
Processing: Red Wine Process

First, the red wine process does not involve soaking coffee in red wine nor fermenting it in red wine barrels. The red wine process draws inspiration from winemaking techniques, where whole grape bunches with stems are placed in carbon dioxide-filled tanks (anaerobic environment). The grape berries rupture, extracting juice, separating grape juice from skins, and then yeast is added for fermentation. This process can produce aromatic wines from neutral grape varieties, resulting in softer wines rich in fruit flavors with distinct notes of cherry wine, banana, bubble gum, and cinnamon. Therefore, the red wine process is also known as carbonic maceration.

In red wine process fermentation, first, coffee cherries are placed in a sealed container with a one-way exhaust valve, which is very similar to anaerobic methods. Since the coffee cherry skins remain intact, fermentation may take several days or weeks. Different pressures in the tank produce different sugars and pectins for microbial decomposition. The red wine process can control pH value, and even temperature and humidity, to ensure coffee quality, while sealed fermentation prevents aromatic substances from easily volatilizing.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Sharing

To highlight the beans from Hartmann's red wine process, FrontStreet Coffee conducted cupping and then found a more suitable brewing method.

First, the Hario resin V60 dripper is selected. As a traditional pour-through dripper, V60 can produce excellent flavors, and the resin material has minimal impact on water temperature. A coffee-to-water ratio of 1:16 is used - a larger ratio allows the coffee's flavors to emerge more easily, as they say, light floral aromas can be more attractive than intense ones.

The grind size is slightly coarser than normal pour-over, with 70% pass-through rate using a #20 standard sieve. A coarser grind prevents the coffee grounds from clogging the drainage holes in the final stage, avoiding over-extraction.

The water temperature used is 93°C, with higher temperature more easily extracting flavor compounds.

Brewing Steps

First, pour 15g of coffee grounds, then perform the first pour with 40g of water for a 30-second bloom. Using twice the amount of water for blooming can make the entire cup's acidity more vibrant.

Second pour: 140g of water. The circular motion during pouring should be elegant (slow), with the water stream about 5cm high. This pour raises the water level to about halfway up the short ribs of the V60.

When the water level drops to the bottom of the short ribs, continue with 60g. Stop pouring at approximately 1 minute 32 seconds. After all the coffee liquid in the dripper has flowed into the server below, remove the dripper to finish extraction. Total time is 2 minutes.

Flavor Description

This brewing method produces a red wine fermentation aroma on the nose. On entry, it offers citrus and kiwi acidity with very bright acidity. The middle section brings brown sugar sweetness, accompanied by wine-like acidity and aroma.

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