Where Can You Grow Coffee Beans Like Panama's Geisha?

El Burro Estate in Boquete, Panama, shows the conditions behind quality coffee. Founded in 1925 by French immigrant Aristides Boutet and now owned by the Lamastus family, it shares lineage with Elida Estate. Baru Volcano supplies fertile soil and a unique microclimate that suits varieties such as Geisha, and the farm approaches its centennial.

The terroir comes from converging air currents over Panama's central mountain range. A cold current from Florida meets a warm, moist Pacific current, producing variable winds and frequent rain. Volcanic soil rich in organic matter, potassium and phosphorus feeds the trees. The natural-process Geisha shows green grape, apricot and floral notes, and sun drying coffee beans helps shape that cup.

In the Boquete region of Panama, there is a coffee estate approaching its centennial—El Burro Estate. Founded in 1925 by French immigrant Aristides Boutet, it now belongs to the Lamastus family and shares the same lineage as the famous Elida Estate. El Burro Estate enjoys the fertile soil and unique microclimate brought by the Baru Volcano, providing excellent growing conditions for varieties such as Geisha. This article will guide you through the history and terroir advantages of El Burro Estate, and taste the natural-process Geisha brought to you by Front Street Coffee, experiencing the captivating flavors of green grape, apricot, and floral notes.

In 1925, a French immigrant purchased a piece of land in Boquete, Panama, and began growing coffee. Since the land was originally used for livestock grazing, the buyer, Mr. Aristides Boutet, named the estate "El Burro Estate." In just over half a year, El Burro Estate will join Elida in becoming a century-old renowned estate, making it the second centennial farm under the Lamastus family. Today, Front Street Coffee introduces you to this nearly hundred-year-old El Burro Estate.

El Burro Estate

El Burro Estate is located in the Baru Volcano mountain range of Boquete, Panama, where many renowned Panamanian estates are concentrated. This area boasts exceptional terroir resources, such as Panama's unique microclimate. Looking at the map, Panama's terrain runs in an S-shape from east to west. Every winter, two air currents converge in the high-altitude areas of the central mountain range: one is a cold current from Florida in the United States flowing from north to south, and the other is a warm, moist Pacific current flowing from west to north.

When these two very different air currents meet, they trigger variable wind patterns and frequent rainfall. Such climatic conditions provide suitable temperatures and precipitation for plant growth, which is why people often say this is Panama's one-of-a-kind important resource. El Burro Estate happens to be located near the mountain range and is also a beneficiary of this climate.

In addition, the Baru Volcano must be mentioned, as Panama's main coffee-producing regions are all distributed around this volcano. The fertile volcanic soil is rich in organic matter as well as potassium and phosphorus, which help provide ample nutrients for coffee growth and shape superior coffee flavors. Therefore, this land also enjoys the reputation of being a "coffee paradise."

Speaking of Mr. Aristides Boutet, he was not only the founder of El Burro Estate but also the maternal grandfather of Mr. Wilford Lamastus of the Lamastus family. It is because of this relationship that El Burro Estate became part of the Lamastus family. For a long period, the coffee market was oversupplied, prices remained depressed, and many estate owners could not survive the hardship and had to sell their estates—Mr. Aristides Boutet was no exception. However, Mr. Wilford and his younger brother Patrick Lamastus could not bear to see El Burro Estate fall into the hands of outsiders, so they bought it and continued to operate it.

El Burro Estate is slightly smaller than Elida Estate, covering only about 50 hectares, but it is still quite expansive. Like most estates in the Boquete region, part of El Burro Estate lies within Panama's national forest park. Since the forest is under national protection and logging is strictly prohibited, this portion of about 20 hectares cannot be planted with coffee. Excluding the 20 hectares that cannot be cultivated, the remaining 30 hectares are allocated by the Lamastus family as follows: 10 hectares as a reserved planting area, and 20 hectares for coffee cultivation, mainly growing Geisha and Catuai varieties.

But back then, the Lamastus family's operations were not promising. To keep the estate running and maintain daily life, the family had to take on other work to secure income and funding for farm operations. With the Lamastus family's persistent efforts, the estate finally saw the light of day and welcomed its spring. Since 2015, El Burro Estate has been winning awards continuously, becoming a renowned coffee estate with repeated successes in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition. In 2016, a competitor from Maruyama Coffee in Japan won the championship using Geisha from El Burro Estate!

So, Front Street Coffee got hold of a Geisha from El Burro Estate to taste this delicious coffee! Yes, we just couldn't resist! This Geisha is natural-processed. Natural processing involves drying the whole coffee cherry—skin, pulp, and all—until it reaches a certain moisture content, which takes roughly 2 to 4 weeks, and finally using a huller to remove the outer shell wrapping the beans, completing the green bean processing.

Natural-processed coffee beans have richer, more layered flavors, so Front Street Coffee will use a medium-light roast for this Geisha to better express its excellent flavors.

Front Street Coffee: Panama · El Burro Estate Geisha

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete

Altitude: 1,800 meters

Variety: Geisha

Processing Method: Natural

Grade: SHB

Flavor: Green grape, apricot, floral, dried longan, orange

Eight hours after roasting was completed, Front Street Coffee immediately conducted a cupping! In terms of dry aroma, this natural-process El Burro Estate Geisha gives off intense orange and floral notes. After breaking the crust and tasting, you can feel the round acidity of green grape and apricot, along with the high sweetness of orange and dried longan, accompanied throughout by delicate floral notes and a slight fermented sensation. As the temperature drops, the sweet and tangy orange flavor becomes even more pronounced!

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