How Do Geisha and Typica Arabica Coffee Varieties Differ at Elida?
Panama's Elida Estate, founded in 1918 and lying at up to 1,850 meters in Boquete, grows Geisha and Typica among arabica coffee varieties. The high altitude delays cherry ripening by about a month, and the estate uses anaerobic fermentation with low-temperature slow sun-drying, a combination that has repeatedly set cupping records at the BOP competition.
The Lamastus family estate covers 65 hectares, more than half inside Baru Volcano National Park, with only about 30 hectares planted and the rest kept as virgin forest. Coffee trees sit between 1,670 and 1,850 meters, and fertile volcanic soil feeds them. Typica coffee at such heights ripens slowly and develops dense, sweet flavor.
In the Boquete region of Panama, besides the world-renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda, there is an equally outstanding Elida Estate. Founded in 1918, this estate has coffee grown at altitudes up to 1,850 meters, making it one of the highest coffee estates in Panama. Elida Estate is known for its Geisha and Typica varieties, employs anaerobic fermentation and low-temperature slow sun-drying processing methods, and has repeatedly broken cupping records in the BOP competition. In this article, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will take you on an in-depth look at Elida Estate's regional terroir, variety characteristics, processing techniques, and roasting and brewing recommendations, while also comparing it with Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain coffee beans, providing a comprehensive reference for coffee enthusiasts.
For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow the Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style).
When it comes to Panamanian coffee, most coffee enthusiasts first think of Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha. However, what Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce today is the equally famous Elida Estate, also located in Panama's well-known Boquete region. Below, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will guide everyone through this estate's unique characteristics and its coffee beans.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Panama Elida Estate Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1,850 meters
Variety: Geisha
Processing Method: Anaerobic Fermentation Low-Temperature Slow Sun-Dried
Panama Elida Estate
Elida Estate is the most well-known estate under the Lamastus family. According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), it was founded in 1918. The estate covers a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half of the land located within the boundaries of Baru Volcano National Park, while only 30 hectares are actually used for coffee cultivation, with the rest preserved as virgin forest. The coffee trees are distributed between 1,670 and 1,850 meters above sea level, making Elida one of the two highest coffee estates in Panama.
In the high-altitude environment, lower temperatures delay the ripening of coffee cherries by about a month compared to normal conditions. The fertile volcanic soil provides ample nutrients for the coffee trees, and combined with the microclimate conditions brought by Baru Volcano, Elida Estate has repeatedly achieved excellent results in cupping competitions.
According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), in Panama's BOP coffee competition, Elida Estate has always been a strong rival to Hacienda La Esmeralda, not only winning the BOP championship multiple times but also once holding the BOP cupping score record—in 2018, Elida's Green Tip Washed Geisha scored 94.66 points, breaking the 2016 record of 94.15 points for the same bean.
In the 2019 BOP competition, the championship in the Geisha processing category was won by Elida's sun-dried ASD processed Geisha with a score of 95.25 points, once again breaking its own BOP record.
Panama Elida Estate Coffee Beans Varieties
According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), Elida Estate mainly cultivates three varieties: Caturra, Typica, and Geisha, each with its own distinctive flavor profile. Next, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce the characteristics of each variety.
Typica
Typica is the oldest native variety from Ethiopia, and nearly all Arabica coffee varieties today are derived from it. Typica has an elegant flavor, but the plant is weak, has poor disease resistance, is susceptible to leaf rust, and has low yields, making it difficult to achieve economic viability. In recent years, Typica in Central and South America has gradually been replaced by Caturra and Catuai, making it increasingly rare. Although elegant in flavor, it is less widespread than Bourbon.
Caturra
Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its productivity and disease resistance are superior to Bourbon, and the tree is shorter, making harvesting easier, but like Bourbon, it has the problem of biennial yield fluctuations. Its flavor is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon, but it has extremely strong adaptability, requires no shade trees, and grows well under direct sunlight—commonly known as sun-grown coffee. It is suitable for high-density planting but requires more fertilizer, increasing costs, so it was not initially well-received by coffee farmers.
Geisha
Geisha beans are famous for their very unique flavor. They have a distinctive floral aroma and intense fruity notes. The type of fruit flavor may vary depending on the origin. Typically, it often carries aromas of mango, guava, papaya, and citrus. The unique flavor can be traced back to the origin of Geisha beans in Ethiopia—this complex and vibrant flavor is not the norm for coffee grown in Latin America. It is precisely because of its outstanding flavor that Geisha coffee enjoys such renown.
Panama Elida Estate Coffee Bean Processing Methods
According to Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), Elida Estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountain, so coffee can be transported to the factory for processing immediately after picking, ensuring the quality of the coffee cherries is not affected. Elida's environment is also suitable for growing other quality temperate crops, especially tree tomatoes and some rare high-altitude fruits. Interestingly, the flavors of these fruits can often be sensed in Elida's coffee as well.
The estate owner, Mr. Wilford, has invested tremendous effort in harvesting and processing. To achieve 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 of Elida's quality flavor.
Mr. Wilford particularly emphasizes the "purification" stage after green bean processing. Taking Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s Panama Elida coffee beans as an example, after processing is completed, the green beans need to undergo more than 5 months of low-temperature resting to remove greenness, which allows the coffee flavor to develop more balanced and full.
Low-temperature Resting was vigorously promoted by coffee master George Howell starting in 2006 and is a concept of green bean purification. We have found that while green beans from subtropical regions certainly need low-temperature storage, different processing methods and altitudes affect the duration of low-temperature resting. For Panama Elida, 5 months of low-temperature resting is optimal.
Anaerobic Fermentation Low-Temperature Slow Sun-Dried
From the above introduction by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) about Elida Estate coffee beans, it can be seen that they use the anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-dried method. The process is as follows:
First, the coffee farmers at Elida Estate place the harvested coffee cherries into sealed containers to ferment for 4-5 days, then spread a thick layer of coffee cherries on drying beds to allow them to dry slowly. The low-temperature slow sun-drying processing method requires producers to invest more time and effort. Nurtured by time, slow drying allows the coffee cherries to develop optimal water activity during the process, which results in better flavor development and also allows the green beans to maintain quality longer during seasonal storage cycles. However, at the same time, this method not only depends on favorable weather conditions but also extends the time required for each batch of production, increasing the cost of green beans.
From the above, Front Street can also see that Elida Estate's Geisha coffee is still quite different from Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans , with significant differences in both processing methods and cultivation methods. The fact that Elida Estate can become a strong rival to Hacienda La Esmeralda also demonstrates the excellence of Elida Estate's coffee beans. Additionally, Elida Estate also has a Typica variety coffee bean with excellent flavor, while Hacienda La Esmeralda's Typica variety coffee bean is Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain coffee bean. Both of these are available at Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s shop. Now, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will briefly share the basic information of these two coffee beans.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Panama Elida Estate Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete, Panama
Estate: Elida Estate
Altitude: 1,850 meters
Variety: Typica
Processing Method: Sun-Dried
Flavor: Smooth on the palate, with prominent flavors of raisins, white peach, orange, melon, cane sugar, and caramel, green tea texture, high cleanliness.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Sun-Dried Diamond Mountain Coffee Beans
Region: Boquete
Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Altitude: 1,400-1,700m
Variety: Catuai, Caturra
Processing Method: Sun-Dried
Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, fermented notes, cocoa.
The above is the relevant information about Panama Elida Estate coffee beans compiled by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Before launching each new coffee bean, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) conducts roasting and brewing tests to determine the optimal parameters to ensure stable coffee flavor. Now, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will share the roasting and brewing data for Panama Elida Estate Geisha coffee beans and Typica coffee beans.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Roasting Analysis
Elida Estate Geisha This coffee has medium bean size and density, absorbs a relatively large amount of heat during roasting, and the Maillard reaction proceeds relatively quickly. Open the damper when the beans begin to turn yellow to develop more fermentation aromas and enhance its sweetness and balance.
Charge at a drum temperature of 160°C, power at 100, damper at 3, turning point at 1'42". At 146°C, open the damper to 4; at 146°C, the bean surface turns yellow and the grassy smell completely disappears; at 166°C, reduce power to 80, damper unchanged; at 7'31", ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 8'28", reduce power to 50, open damper fully to 5, develop for 1'45" after first crack, drop at 194.5°C.
Elida Estate Typica This coffee bean uses their specialty refined sun-dried processing method.
Charge at a drum temperature of 170°C, damper at 3, adjust power to 140 after 30 seconds, damper unchanged, turning point at 1'25". Adjust power once at 140°C; at this point the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. Adjust power to 110, damper to 4;
At 8'45", ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'07", reduce power to 90, adjust damper to 4 (be very careful when adjusting power—do not reduce it so much that there is no crackling sound). After first crack, 1'45", drop at 190°C.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Brewing Recommendations
Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: Medium-fine (78% passing through Chinese standard No. 20 sieve)
Water temperature: 90-91°C
Dripper: Hario V60
Brewing method: Pulse pouring. Dose 15g, bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds, pour in a slow circular stream to 125g for the first pulse, then continue pouring to 226g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed and stop, remove the dripper when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again. (Start timing from the beginning of blooming.) Total extraction time: 1'50".
Elida Estate Geisha Coffee Bean Flavor: A faint fermentation aroma and floral notes on the nose; grapefruit, lemon, and guava flavors on the palate, with honey sweetness in the mid-palate and a black tea finish. Elida Estate Typica Coffee Bean Flavor: Fermented wine aroma and jasmine floral notes, with peach and orange acidity on the palate. Prominent sweetness of raisins and cane sugar.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
