What Growing Conditions for Coffee Does Elida Estate Offer?
Panama's Elida Estate sits in the Boquete region of Chiriqui at altitudes from 1,670 to 1,850 meters, run by the Lamastus family for a century. Its microclimate and fertile volcanic soil give the growing conditions for coffee that support the Typica variety, which is processed as natural here and cups with caramel, roasted almond, raisin and peach.
The estate covers 65 hectares, more than half inside Baru Volcano National Park, with only 30 hectares planted to coffee and the rest left as forest. Boquete's east-to-west orientation channels cold air through the central mountain range above 6,500 feet, creating the microclimates that make these coffee farms well suited to high-quality production.
Located in the Boquete production region of Panama, Elida Estate is a century-old coffee legend passed down through the Lamastus family. The estate sits at an altitude of up to 1,850 meters, enjoying a unique microclimate and fertile volcanic soil that provide ideal growing conditions for coffee. This article will take an in-depth look at Elida Estate's history, the characteristics of the Typica variety, meticulous green bean processing and roasting techniques, and share Front Street Coffee's brewing suggestions. From the rich layers of caramel and roasted almond to raisin and peach in the cupping, we'll guide you through the one-of-a-kind flavor charm of this natural-process Typica.
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Panama Elida Estate
Front Street Coffee · Panama Elida Natural Typica
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1,850 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Natural
01 | Region Introduction
Boquete Production Region
Boquete is a town in the province of Chiriqui, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With picturesque scenery, fertile and rich soil, the climate and soil are highly suitable for producing premium coffee.
The microclimates found in the Boquete highlands of Panama are a unique and vital resource for the specialty coffee of the Boquete region; Panama's east-to-west orientation channels cold air masses through the central mountain range, converging above 6,500 feet, thereby creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete area. This makes the temperature and rainfall highly suitable for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here grow exceptionally well.
02 | Estate Introduction
Elida Elida Estate Estate
Panama's Elida Estate is located in Boquete, a renowned specialty coffee region in Panama. Elida Estate covers a total area of 65 hectares, more than half of which lies within the boundaries of Baru Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares of the estate are used for cultivating coffee trees, while the rest remains pristine forest. 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 such an altitude is Carmen Estate in the Volcan Valley).
In such a high-altitude environment, low temperatures delay the ripening period of coffee cherries by approximately a full month compared to normal; the fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, and combined with the excellent microclimate brought by Baru Volcano, Elida Estate is able to consistently achieve outstanding results in cupping competitions.
Elida Estate primarily cultivates three varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The estate's processing facility is located halfway up the mountain, so after picking, the coffee can be transported to the factory immediately for processing, ensuring the quality of the coffee cherries is not compromised. Of course, Elida's environment is also suitable for growing other high-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.
Elida Estate is the most renowned estate of the Lamastus family, founded in 1918. Since Robert Lamastus, the founder of the Lamastus family's coffee estate, planted his first coffee tree, it has now passed a century and witnessed the global rise of specialty coffee.
Elida Estate is the most renowned estate of the Lamastus family, founded in 1918. Since Robert Lamastus, the founder of the Lamastus family's coffee estate, planted his first coffee tree, it has now passed a century and witnessed the global rise of specialty coffee.
Even today, Elida Estate continues to be carried on by descendants of the Lamastus family, including estate owner Mr. Wilford, Wilford's father Thatcher, and Wilford's son / fourth-generation successor Wilford Jr.
As a traditional coffee family, coffee has become part of their family DNA. Wilford was born on a small coffee farm, and his parents were also born on coffee farms. Today, the coffee produced by the estate comes from Elida Estate, Donkey Estate, and Luito Estate.
In addition to the exceptional ultra-high altitude and microclimate, estate owner Mr. Wilford has also devoted considerable effort to harvesting and processing. To meet the highest standards, Elida Estate only allows hand-picking of the ripest coffee cherries (Ripe on Pinton). The high degree of ripeness means the mucilage naturally has high sugar content, which is also the foundation for producing Elida's exceptional flavors.
In addition to being extremely strict about coffee cultivation and processing, estate owner Mr. Wilford is also more rigorous than industry peers when it comes to the "purification" of green beans after processing. At Panama's Elida, after processing, the green beans undergo more than 5 months of low-temperature resting to remove greenness, allowing the coffee's flavors to develop more balanced and fully.
(Low-temperature resting is a green bean purification concept heavily promoted by coffee master George Howell starting in 2006. We have found that while green beans from subtropical regions certainly need low-temperature storage, different processing methods and altitude levels will change the low-temperature resting time. For Panama's Elida, 5 months of low-temperature resting is optimal.)
The oldest coffee estate in Panama's history and one of the highest-altitude estates in the Boquete region, it is an estate that grows Geisha at ultra-high altitude (2,050m). It has not only won multiple BOP championships but also holds the BOP cupping score record (in 2018, Elida Green Tip Washed Geisha scored an ultra-high 94.66, breaking the 2016 BOP record of 94.15 set by Elida Green Tip Washed Geisha).
03 | Green Bean Analysis
Typica is one of the oldest Arabica coffee varieties discovered to date, alongside Bourbon. Arabica originates from Ethiopia, and this variety still grows naturally in the highland primeval rainforests there.
Typica beans are slender, the tree is tall, the fruit is oval-shaped, and the branches are slightly inclined. Typica has four long, spreading branches with an inclination angle of 50–70 degrees. Each tree produces very low yields of coffee, but cupping scores are very high.
04 | Roasting Analysis
Since beans are charged at a lower temperature, the flavor won't be as clean and intense as when charging at high temperature, but the advantage is a very soft and smooth mouthfeel. Because the development time after first crack is very short, the heat must be sufficient; otherwise, the target drop temperature won't be reached and the caramelization level will be insufficient.
I will use gliding. This is what most roasting beginners ask about. Actually, the gliding action means reducing heat or turning off the flame and using the drum's residual temperature to continue roasting the beans. Throughout the entire roasting process, the beans are in an endothermic state; only first crack and second crack are exothermic actions. During these two stages, it's best not to increase the heat, otherwise the beans can easily develop a spicy sensation.
Gliding emphasizes using the drum's residual heat with the flame turned off, along with the heat released by the beans during the cracking phase, to allow the roasted beans to continue and slowly roast.
Roaster: Yangjia 600g semi-direct fire
Charge when the drum temperature reaches 170°C, set airflow to 3; after 30 seconds, adjust heat to 140°C, keep airflow unchanged; turning point at 1'25"; adjust heat once at 140°C, at which point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete; adjust heat to 110°C, airflow to 4;
At 8'45", ugly wrinkles and dark streaks appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma noticeably shifts to coffee fragrance, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'07", first crack begins; reduce heat to 90°C, airflow to 4 (adjusting heat requires great care—do not reduce it so much that cracking sounds disappear), 1'45" after first crack , drop at 190°C.
Cupping:
Dry aroma: caramel, roasted almond, floral
Wet aroma: jackfruit, fermented wine aroma
Mouthfeel: smooth on entry, with prominent flavors of raisin, peach, orange, melon, cane sugar, and caramel, green tea sensation, high cleanliness.
05 | Brewing Analysis
Recommended brewing methods: siphon, pour-over
Grind size: 3.5 (Japanese Fuji R440)
V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 90°C, grind 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio approximately 1:15
Bloom with 30g water, bloom time 30s
Stages: pour to 120ml, pause; slowly pour to 225ml,
i.e., 30-120-225
[Front Street Panama Elida Natural Typica] Flavor and mouthfeel: On entry, you can clearly perceive the flavors of peach, raisin, and orange; gradually, cane sugar and melon sweetness emerge, with the finish carrying flavors of grapefruit and green tea.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
