How Did Panamanian Geisha From Sofia Estate Win BOP?

Finca Sophia, founded in 2008 by Willem Boot in Volcan, Panama, grows Panamanian Geisha at 1,900 to 2,150 meters, among the highest coffee farms in Central America. The estate entered a reliable of Panama competition in 2017 and took the washed Geisha group championship on its first attempt, then repeated that washed win in 2020 and added runner-up in the natural group.

Boot first judged the Panama BOP in 2004 and tasted Geisha coffee beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda, which set his course toward the variety. He later bought Finca La Mula in 2005, traveled to Ethiopia's Kaffa region, and helped establish Gesha Village. At Finca Sophia, an initial planting of 15,000 Geisha seedlings at the estate's highest point met an early setback in its third year.

In the dazzling starry sky of Panamanian specialty coffee, Finca Sophia is a particularly brilliant new star. Founded in 2008 by coffee expert Willem Boot, this estate, with its ultra-high-altitude growing environment and ultimate pursuit of the Geisha variety, won the washed group championship on its first entry to the BOP competition in 2017, and in 2020 won the washed group championship again as well as the runner-up spot in the natural group. This article will explore in depth the background story, cultivation challenges, and terroir conditions of Finca Sophia, and bring you a detailed flavor description and brewing suggestions for the 2022-crop natural Geisha currently sold at Front Street Coffee stores, unveiling the unique charm of this top-tier Geisha.

The Panama BOP competition is known as the Oscars of the green coffee bean world. Once a estate takes first place, its reputation and value rise rapidly. However, there is one estate that only got its start in 2008. After ten years of accumulation, it made its first appearance at the Best of Panama (BOP) competition in 2017 and immediately took the championship in the Geisha washed group! A few years later, in 2020, it competed again and claimed both the washed group championship and the natural group runner-up spot, an astonishing performance. This is Finca Sophia, which Front Street would like to share with everyone today.

In 2008, Willem Boot purchased an estate at extremely high altitude from Ricardo Koyner, the owner of Hacienda La Carleida, and named it Finca Sophia, located in the town of Volcan in Panama.

Willem Boot himself is an experienced coffee expert. In 2004, he had the opportunity to serve as a judge at the Panama BOP and tasted the Geisha coffee beans submitted that year by Hacienda La Esmeralda, and from then on fell in love with this variety at first sight. In 2005, by a stroke of luck, he bought Finca La Mula to plant Geisha, and later traveled to the Kaffa region of Ethiopia to search for traces of Geisha, and assisted the documentary director accompanying him in establishing Gesha Village. By 2008, he had conceived a bold idea—to grow the very finest Geisha.

Finca Sophia sits at an altitude of between 1,900 and 2,150 meters, making it one of the highest-altitude coffee estates in Central America. Since the estate was founded, Willem and his partners have continuously explored the upper altitude limits for growing the world's top coffee. At first, they planted 15,000 Geisha seedlings at the highest point of the estate, but soon suffered their first setback—in the third year, because the altitude was too high, all the Geisha trees froze to death, with not a single one surviving. So in 2012, they again planted 15,000 Geisha seedlings in the area between 1,900 and 2,000 meters. Because of the high altitude, these Geisha did not flower and fruit in the usual five years, but required a longer growing period, needing 7 to 10 years to reach mass production. For this reason, Finca Sophia did not bring its small-production Geisha coffee to the BOP competition until 2017, where it won the championship in one fell swoop.

The estate's name comes from Sophia, the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology, and its logo design was inspired by a type of highland dove (called Torcaza in Spanish) that inhabits the estate. The estate is jointly owned by Willem and his American partner, the Equator coffee roaster, while daily management is handled by Kelly Hartmann, the youngest son of the Hartmann family, a local Panamanian coffee dynasty.

At present the estate is divided into four zones, with the main production coming from Zone 3 and Zone 4, while the higher-altitude Zone 1 and Zone 2 need more time to adapt. Finca Sophia's harvest period differs from that of other regions in Panama. Panama's coffee harvest is usually concentrated from August to December, but because of Finca Sophia's high altitude and slow ripening, its harvest season comes from February to June of the following year.

Finca Sophia is a micro-estate with low annual production, only about three to four hundred kilograms. Now at Front Street stores, you can taste natural Geisha coffee beans from the 2022 crop. This Geisha undergoes a refined natural process. According to estate owner Willem's philosophy, Panamanian Geisha needs no fancy processing methods; only plain natural and washed processing are needed to reflect its original flavor. It is precisely Willem's philosophy that allows us to taste the charm of high-quality, high-altitude Panamanian Geisha.

In order to preserve the captivating floral and fruity aroma of the Geisha coffee beans, Front Street Coffee uses a light roast. Through cupping comparisons, this Finca Sophia natural coffee bean, once ground, displays the dry aroma of honeydew and rose; on the palate it presents flavors of orange, honeydew, apple juice, rose, and oolong tea, with high sweetness and a full, lingering character.

Because this Sophia natural Geisha is grown at high altitude, the coffee beans have relatively high density, and the light roast does not greatly change their density. Therefore, a medium-fine grind (78% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve) and a higher water temperature can be used for extraction.

Front Street Coffee pour-over parameter suggestions:

Dripper: V60 dripper

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Grind size: 78% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve

Water temperature: 90-91°C

Pair with a three-stage circular pouring technique: first use 30g of water to fully wet the coffee bed into a "hamburger" shape, let it bloom for 30 seconds, then begin the second stage of brewing; for the second stage, Front Street uses a steady medium-fine stream poured in circles up to 125g, then stops, and when the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, pours the third stage; for the third stage, continue pouring in circles with a medium-fine stream up to 225g and finish pouring, with a total extraction time of 2 minutes 20 seconds.

Front Street Coffee Finca Sophia natural Geisha coffee flavor profile: on entry, orange-like sweetness and acidity along with the aroma of honeydew and rose; in the middle, a refreshing apple-juice-like quality; and in the finish, an oolong-tea-like sweet aftertaste.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.