Panama High-Value Geisha Coffee Beans Recommendation - Mariposa Coffee Bean Estate Information and Flavor Profile

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama Butterfly Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete, Baru Volcano area

Varieties: Catuai, Caturra, Geisha

Processing: Washed

Roast Level: Medium (Light-to-medium)

Flavor: Peach, nuts, honey, green tea

Region Introduction

In Boquete, Panama, there exists a coffee bean with exceptional value for money, bearing a beautiful name: Panama Butterfly Coffee. Panama is a Central American country, bordering Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Those familiar with single-origin coffee should know that Panama coffee is renowned in the coffee world for the Geisha variety from Hacienda La Esmeralda. It can be described as a country that pursues excellence in coffee and produces high-quality beans.

Panama coffee is famous for the Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the region where this estate is located is also quite renowned—it's the Boquete region in Chiriqui Province. Actually, Boquete is a town in Chiriqui Province, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its beautiful scenery, fertile soil, and climate perfect for producing high-quality coffee.

Within the Boquete region are distributed many excellent estates. Besides the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, there are also well-known estates like Elida Estate and Kotowa Duncan Estate, all producing high-quality specialty coffee. This is not only thanks to the superior ecological conditions of Panama's Boquete region and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Baru Volcano area.

Another important factor is that the microclimate in Panama's Boquete highlands is a unique resource for the region's specialty coffee. The east-west environmental pattern in Panama causes cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the central mountains, creating various microclimates in the Boquete area. This makes the temperature and rainfall perfect for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here grow exceptionally well.

Panama Butterfly Coffee Beans contain over 50% Geisha heritage, composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. They are grown in the Baru Volcano region of Boquete, at an altitude of 1,600 meters in volcanic areas. The processing plant uses refined washed processing. Panama's special local microclimate results in abundant rainfall in this region, combined with large temperature differences between day and night, plus the unique volcanic rock soil of the volcanic region, along with meticulous harvesting and refined processing, making this coffee perform remarkably well in body, acidity, and floral notes.

(Local honey is also produced here, with wild butterflies around the mountains)

What's even more surprising is that, based on excellent quality, the very affordable price makes this coffee bean's value for money outstanding. The special feature of this coffee bean is that it contains the Geisha variety, giving this coffee very distinct Geisha flavor characteristics.

Is Butterfly a blend?

According to research by FrontStreet Coffee, due to historical reasons, the estate mixed Geisha variety coffee trees with Caturra and Catuai varieties to pursue yield in the early days. To facilitate harvesting, coffee farmers later subdivided the three varieties, then directly mixed the three varieties during export to achieve the desired rich flavor profile.

The three varieties in Butterfly all come from the same origin and same region, so it belongs to single-origin beans!

Like the famous Hacienda La Esmeralda, these are beans from the Boquete region, and they contain 40% to 70% Geisha, with flavors that have very authentic Panama Geisha characteristics. Most importantly, the price is very affordable.

Butterfly coffee is all washed processed. Washed beans are known for their cleanliness and clear floral notes. The green bean supplier provided information that the bean's moisture content is only 9.9%, so the roasting plan is to use low temperature for bean entry, then high heat with small air valve to accelerate dehydration. After the dehydration phase ends, open the medium air valve and medium heat to prevent the Maillard reaction time from being too rushed. Drop at the peak of first crack.

Roasting Process

Due to the particularity of this Butterfly variety in terms of its composition, we use light-to-medium roasting to complete the final flavor direction of these beans. We decided to shorten the Maillard reaction time, running a relatively fast curve. Due to the high density and hardness of the beans, we start with high heat for dehydration, then reduce heat before first crack to lower the temperature rise and enter first crack, trying to preserve the loss of small molecule aromatic substances like floral notes, so as not to destroy the unique floral notes, white grape, caramel, honey, and black tea aromas characteristic of Geisha.

Roasting amount: 550g (full load) beans in.

Entry temperature: 200°C

First crack: 184.5°C ± 0.5°C @ 8:31 ± 3 seconds

Cupping Results (next day)

Wet aroma: Citrus, jasmine hints

Flavor: Peach, grape, caramel, honey

Brewing Guide

Suitable equipment: Pour-over drip, siphon, French press, cold drip, siphon, coffee bags

Pour-over Record

Summary

For pour-over Panama Butterfly, V60 recommended with 15g of coffee, water temperature 89-90°C

Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, EK43s grinder setting 10, V60 dripper.

For the first pour, use 30g of water for 28-30s bloom. Depending on the bloom condition and expansion size, this determines how long to use a fine water flow. The coffee grounds after blooming will still contain some air.

During the second pour, foam will be produced. The fineness of the foam represents the air content in the coffee grounds. The air content in the coffee grounds determines whether the grounds float on the water surface or settle at the bottom of the filter. With high air content, coffee grounds float on the water surface, so you need to use a fine, gentle water flow to disturb the coffee grounds and release the air within.

Pour to 110g water, stop at 140g, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before pouring again, slowly pour until reaching 225g water, discard the last 5g, extraction time 2:00s. FrontStreet Coffee believes this extraction method can present Butterfly's high sweetness and gentle fruit acidity. Everyone can make fine adjustments according to their preferred taste profile.

Flavor: Clean and transparent body, white grape and caramel aroma followed by honey notes, fascinating high mountain black tea aroma! High sweetness, medium acidity, smooth mouthfeel.

Important Notice :

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