Why is Boquete a source of famed coffee?
Boquete sits on the slopes of the Baru Volcano in Panama, where high altitude and shade from native forest slow cherry ripening. The Casa Ruiz cooperative, founded in 1979 and now run by a third generation, sorts and grades those lots before they reach the market, which is why Boquete is treated as a source of famed coffee alongside the country's better-known Geisha.
Recent Boquete green beans showed an unusually low defect rate, roughly ten flawed beans in three kilograms. Roasting 40 seconds past first crack gives soft acidity with walnut and creamy chocolate, while dropping at the start of second crack suits drinkers who prefer less acidity.
Panama coffee is not only Geisha. Located in the Boquete producing region on the slopes of the Baru Volcano, with its high altitude, shade from pristine forests, and meticulous hand-selection, it nurtures high-quality coffee that is clean and refreshing with subtle floral aromas. The Boquete beans obtained by Front Street Coffee this time have an extremely low defect rate—only about 10 defective beans were picked out from 3 kilograms, making the bean appearance rare. After testing different roast levels, 40 seconds past first crack presents soft acidity, walnut and nutty aromas, and a creamy chocolate finish, while the early stage of second crack is more suitable for those who do not favor acidity. This article will take an in-depth look at the terroir of the Boquete producing region and focus on the Casa Ruiz cooperative, founded in 1979—this well-known estate consortium in the Baru Volcano region, passed down through three generations, how, while adhering to environmental friendliness and traditional varieties, it achieves consistently winning quality in Best of Panama through rigorous grading and selection.
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Panama Casa Ruiz Boquete Classic
The Boquete green beans received this time are quite outstanding in appearance, with an extremely low proportion of defective beans. After sorting 3 kilograms of beans, the defects were basically kept to around 10, which is truly rare for such a clean bean appearance (in memory, the last time I saw beans this beautiful was Costa Rica Tarrazu, which also had an extremely low defect rate). I tried a variety of roasting curves, dropping the beans at 40 seconds after the end of first crack and at the beginning of second crack respectively, and the flavor performances each had their own strengths. Overall—clean, refreshing, with soft acidity, carrying walnut and nutty aromas, good body, and a finish showing creamy chocolate tones. The粽子 who prefers acidity leans more toward the version 40 seconds after first crack, while those who do not like acidity may find the batch after second crack more to their taste. Below is a brief chat about this producing region and estate.
When Panama coffee is mentioned, most people will first think of Geisha, since its fame is simply too great. But Panama’s good coffee is not limited to Geisha alone. In fact, coffee is grown in almost every region of the country, especially in the Boquete producing region adjacent to Costa Rica, which is an important source of Panama specialty coffee. In addition to Geisha, most coffee trees in this producing region are Typica and Caturra varieties. They grow under the shade of tall trees in pristine forests, develop slowly, and have harder bean density. High-altitude coffee beans (S.H.B) are mostly harvested by hand in batches, picking only fully ripe fruit and screening out beans of uneven size to maintain consistency in green bean quality. These coffees usually display distinct floral aromas and a clean, untainted taste.
Next, let’s talk about the famous Casa Ruiz. The Panama Casa Ruiz cooperative was founded in 1979 and is one of the most well-known cooperatives in Boquete in the Baru Volcano region, with its headquarters located in a valley on the slopes of the Baru Volcano. The family has been passed down through three generations, and to date more than 300 small family farms and estates have joined the cooperative system from cultivation, processing, to sales. Most member estates have a century-long history, including Panamaria and Cafe Ruiz. Unlike some cooperatives that sacrifice the environment and expand planting areas to increase yield, Casa Ruiz and its partners follow the ancient local traditions of Boquete, cultivating suitable traditional varieties in an environmentally friendly way. In order to produce high-quality beans, they treat every detail rigorously, screening, marking, and preserving layer by layer, and are an estate with outstanding performance in the Best of Panama competition.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
