How does typica coffee taste when grown at Elida Estate?
Elida Estate in Boquete, Panama, grows Typica at 1,850 meters under the Lamastus family, and the natural process gives the cup wine-like fermented notes with tropical fruit. Typica is one of the oldest arabica coffee varieties, and Elida's low temperatures and volcanic soil slow cherry ripening, which builds the layered sweetness and smooth body the estate is known for.
Elida covers 65 hectares, more than half inside Baru Volcano National Park, with only 30 hectares planted to coffee between 1,670 and 1,850 meters. Boquete's east-to-west mountain orientation channels cold air above 6,500 feet, creating the microclimates that let arabica coffee varieties like Typica ripen slowly and concentrate flavor.
The Elida Estate in the Boquete region of Panama is one of the most iconic specialty coffee estates under the Lamastus family, renowned worldwide for its ultra-high altitude and meticulous processing methods. This article provides an in-depth analysis of Elida Estate's Natural Typica coffee beans, covering everything from terroir and estate history to variety characteristics, green bean analysis, roasting curves, and cupping and brewing parameters. As one of the oldest Arabica varieties, Typica thrives in Elida's high-altitude microclimate and volcanic soil, revealing a smooth and richly layered flavor profile, while the natural process adds fermented wine notes and tropical fruit tones. Whether you're a newcomer to specialty coffee or a seasoned connoisseur looking for your next daily brew, this content—combining knowledge and practical guidance—is well worth a read.
Panama Elida Estate
Panama · Elida Estate
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1,850 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Natural
01 | Region Introduction
Boquete Region
Boquete is a town in the Chiriqui province, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Baru Volcano. With its picturesque scenery, fertile and rich soil, the climate and soil are ideal for producing high-quality coffee.
The microclimates found in the Boquete highlands of Panama are a unique and vital resource for Boquete's specialty coffee. Panama's east-to-west orientation channels cold air masses through the central mountain range, converging above 6,500 feet, which creates diverse microclimates in the Boquete area. These conditions make temperature and rainfall ideal for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here thrive exceptionally well.
02 | Estate Introduction
Elida Elida Estate Estate
Panama's Elida Estate is located in Boquete, a renowned specialty coffee region in Panama. The total area of Elida Estate is 65 hectares, over half of which lies within Baru Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares 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 elevation is Carmen Estate in the Vulcan Valley).
In such a high-altitude environment, low temperatures delay the ripening period of coffee cherries by approximately one full month compared to normal. The fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee, and the excellent microclimate brought by Baru Volcano enables Elida Estate 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 cherries can be transported for processing immediately after picking, ensuring the quality of the coffee cherries is not compromised. Naturally, 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 discovered in Elida's coffee.
Elida Estate is the most renowned estate of the Lamastus family, founded in 1918. From the planting of the first coffee tree by Robert Lamastus, the family's coffee estate founder, it has now passed a century and witnessed the worldwide rise of specialty coffee.
Elida Estate is the most renowned estate of the Lamastus family, founded in 1918. From the planting of the first coffee tree by Robert Lamastus, the family's coffee estate founder, it has now passed a century and witnessed the worldwide rise of specialty coffee.
Elida Estate is the most renowned estate of the Lamastus family, founded in 1918. From the planting of the first coffee tree by Robert Lamastus, the family's coffee estate founder, it has now passed a century and witnessed the worldwide 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 and fourth-generation successor Wilford Jr. As a traditional coffee family, coffee has become part of their 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, 驴子 Estate, and 路易托 Estate.
Beyond the exceptional ultra-high altitude and microclimate, estate owner Mr. Wilford has devoted considerable effort to harvesting and processing. To meet the highest standards, Elida Estate only allows hand-picking of the ripest cherries (Ripe on Pinton). The higher the ripeness of the fruit, the higher the sugar content of the mucilage, which forms the foundation of Elida's exceptional flavors.
In addition to being extremely rigorous about coffee cultivation and processing, estate owner Mr. Wilford is also more meticulous than others in the industry when it comes to "purifying" green beans after processing. In the case of Panama Elida, after processing, the green beans undergo a low-temperature resting period of over 5 months to eliminate grassy notes, allowing the coffee's flavors to develop more evenly and fully.
(Low-temperature resting is a green bean purification concept strongly promoted by coffee master George Howell starting in 2006. We have found that while green beans from subtropical regions do need to be stored at low temperatures, different processing methods and altitudes will change the required resting time. For Panama 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, growing Geisha at ultra-high elevations (2,050m). It has not only won multiple BOP championships but also holds the record for the highest BOP cupping score (in 2018, Elida Green Tip Washed Geisha scored an extraordinary 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 another called Bourbon. Arabica originated in Ethiopia, and this species still grows naturally in the highland primeval forests of that region.
Typica beans are slender, the tree is tall, the fruit is oval-shaped, and the branches are slightly inclined. Typica's four branches are long and spread outward at an angle of 50–70 degrees. Each tree produces very low yields, but cupping scores are very high.
04 | Roasting Analysis
Since the beans are charged at a lower temperature, the flavors won't be as clean and intense as when charging at high temperatures. However, 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 desired drop temperature won't be reached and the caramelization level will be insufficient.
I will use a "coasting" approach. This is the area most frequently asked about by roasting beginners. The coasting action essentially means reducing heat or cutting the flame and using the drum's residual temperature to continue roasting the beans. Throughout the roasting process, the beans are absorbing heat—only during first crack and second crack are they releasing heat. During these two stages, it's best not to increase the flame, otherwise the beans can develop a spicy sensation.
Coasting emphasizes cutting the flame and using the drum's residual heat along with the heat released by the beans during cracking to continue roasting the beans slowly.
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, airflow unchanged. Turning point at 1'25". Adjust heat once at 140°C; at this 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", the bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and dark patches, and the toasted bread aroma clearly shifts to coffee aroma—this 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 cease). 1'45" after first crack , drop at 190°C.
Cupping:
Dry aroma: caramel, roasted almond, floral
Wet aroma: jackfruit, fermented wine notes
Mouthfeel: smooth on entry; raisin, peach, orange, melon, cane sugar, and caramel flavors are prominent, with green tea notes and high cleanliness.
05 | Brewing Analysis
Recommended brewing methods: siphon, pour-over
Grind size: 3.5 (Japanese Fuji Royal 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, then slowly pour to 225ml,
i.e., 30-120-225
On entry, you can clearly taste peach, raisin, and orange flavors. Gradually, cane sugar and melon sweetness emerge, with grapefruit and green tea notes in the finish.
Purchase link: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5-c-s.w4002-15673140460.25.37866805XEIFxK&id=575648438828
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
