Panama's specialty coffee is world-renowned for varieties such as Geisha, and the Boquete region is home to a cluster of star estates. This article takes you deep into Panama's common coffee varieties, the flavor innovations brought by dry and honey processing, and focuses on Elida Estate—a legendary estate that has been a frequent winner at Best of Panama over the past five years. From the volcanic fertile soil at altitudes of 1,670 to 1,850 meters, to the Lamastus family's commitment to ecology and quality, Elida has repeatedly achieved outstanding results with the Catuai variety, demonstrating the perfect combination of terroir and processing craft. Front Street Coffee will also recommend Panamanian coffees worth your attention.
Panama's specialty coffee encompasses multiple varieties, among which the more common ones include Geisha, Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and San Ramon.
However, thanks to the pioneering spirit of local coffee professionals and their continuous efforts, the excellent flavors presented by dry processing and honey processing have begun to refresh coffee lovers' taste experiences time and again. The Boquete region has always been Panama's most closely watched coffee origin, gathering numerous world-renowned estates—such as Esmeralda, which rose to fame with the Geisha variety, Hartman, Mama Cata, Kotowa, and Santa Teresa, all frequent winners at Best of Panama—and Elida Estate is likewise a pivotal star estate in the Boquete region, having consecutively won Best of Panama awards over the past five years with remarkable results, second only to Esmeralda.
Elida Estate covers a total of 65 hectares, of which more than half lies within the boundaries of Baru Volcano National Park. Thirty hectares are used for growing coffee trees, while the remaining 35 hectares are preserved as primary forest.
The coffee-growing areas range in altitude from 1,670 to 1,850 meters, making it one of the two highest-altitude coffee estates in Panama (the other estate reaching the same altitude should be Carmen Estate in the Volcan Valley).
Under such high-altitude conditions, low temperatures delay the ripening of coffee cherries by about a full month compared to normal; the fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, and combined with the exceptional microclimate bestowed by Baru Volcano, Elida Estate is able to frequently achieve excellent results in cupping competitions.
Beyond creating a superior coffee-growing environment, the Lamastus family, which operates Elida Estate, has also planted many different native tree species on the estate, providing shade for the coffee trees and creating friendly habitats for birds. In terms of fertilization, the Lamastus family uses manual fertilization supplemented with a small amount of chemical fertilizer, but firmly avoids pesticides and herbicides harmful to the environment.
Currently, in addition to varieties such as Catuai, Typica, and Bourbon, the Lamastus family also began planting the Geisha variety a few years ago. Even so, all of Elida Estate's entries in the Best of Panama competition use the Catuai variety, yet they still consistently achieve excellent results, fully demonstrating that its geographical environment and outstanding post-harvest processing techniques endow the coffee with fine quality and unique flavors. Front Street Coffee recommends you pay attention to Elida Estate's Catuai lots and experience the pure terroir of the Boquete highlands.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
