Located in the Boquete production region of Panama, ELIKA ESTATE belongs to the Lamastus family and has a history of over a century since its founding in 1918. The estate sits at an altitude of approximately 1,670 to 1,725 meters and mainly cultivates improved Caturra with a small amount of Bourbon. It has participated in the BOP multiple times and achieved excellent results. Elida is famous for its washed beans, and in recent years it has also actively experimented with natural and honey processing. Among these, the honey-processed beans balance cleanliness with fermented fruit aromatics, delivering impressive flavor performance. Front Street Coffee is now launching this honey-processed lot, and this article will provide a detailed sharing of its processing method, roasting curve, and tasting experience.
What Front Street is launching this time is not Esmeralda's Geisha, nor a product under Berlina's name, but coffee beans from another well-known estate in the Boquete production region—ELIKA ESTATE (Elida).
The story of Elida Estate began in 1918 and is run by the Lamastus family. The estate's name comes from the name of the wife of the then-owner Robert Louis Lamastus. The estate is located in the Alto Quiel area of the Boquete production region, at an altitude between 1,670 and 1,725 meters. The farm is dominated by the improved Caturra variety, with a small amount of Bourbon also planted. Elida has participated in the BOP (Best of Panama) competition many times with quite outstanding results, and thereby gradually gained recognition.
What made Elida widely known is its washed lots, which have a clean, transparent flavor with floral notes. At present, the estate is also experimenting with various post-processing methods, including washed, natural, and honey processing. Particularly worth mentioning is the honey-processed lot, which combines the approaches of both natural and washed processing: after the outer skin of fresh coffee cherries is removed, they are directly sun-dried and fermented, preserving a clean mouthfeel while also gaining the fermented fruit aromatics and vinous notes characteristic of natural processing.
This batch of beans is on the smaller side and round in shape. Because it is honey-processed, the center line is not very clear, and obvious parchment traces remain on the surface, with a greenish color.
For roasting, a medium-light profile is suitable, dropping the beans as the first crack is about to end. This preserves rich layers of flavor while maintaining an overall roundness.
The dry aroma can be said to be the most attractive part of this bean. After grinding, an elegant floral note can be detected, fresh yet restrained—not continuously rising like Yirgacheffe, but slowly unfolding. The honey-like sweetness is also very clear, and the overall dry aroma is low and lingering. After pouring water, the honey sweetness becomes even more prominent. On the palate, a very gentle acidity sweeps across the mouth, with the aroma concentrated mainly in the front part of the mouth, that is, the very moment it enters. After swallowing, the finish carries a faint cocoa note, but what is more obvious is the elegant floral aroma. Body is always a weak point of Panamanian coffee, but this honey-processed bean performs well in roundness, and its body is also considerably better than expected.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
