In the valley on the western side of Barú Volcano, near the Costa Rican border in Panama's Volcán region, stands a young estate established only in 2006—Auromar. The estate's name is a combination of the names of owner Roberto's daughter Aurora and granddaughter Mar. Since winning the washed Geisha championship at the BOP competition in 2013, Auromar has made the candidate list almost every year, and the Ironman Geisha has thus become widely renowned. The name "Ironman" comes from the owner's passion for triathlon, while the natural-process lots are named after his little granddaughter Camilina. This article will cover Auromar's geography and microclimate, the naming stories of Ironman Geisha and Camilina, the natural processing flow, and, combined with Front Street Coffee's roasting and pour-over recommendations, present this natural Geisha's floral notes, strawberry, guava, and oolong tea aftertaste.

Front Street Coffee: Panama · Auromar · Catalina Geisha Country: Panama Region: Volcán Estate: Auromar Altitude: 1,550–1,650 m Variety: Geisha Process: Natural Flavor: Floral, yellow lemon, strawberry, guava, berries, oolong tea aroma

The very name "Auromar" carries a sense of expectation for tomorrow, of everything growing ever better. The Geisha beans grown on the estate have a clear, clean cup profile, layered floral notes, and particularly alluring fruity sweetness that can lead the drinker into a soft, delicate realm.

Introduction to Panama's Auromar Estate

Auromar Estate is located in Panama's Volcán region, in the valley on the western side of Barú Volcano, in a rather special geographical position—only about two kilometers from the border between Panama and Costa Rica. When viewed on Google Maps at Front Street, the entire estate sits right in the northwestern corner of Panama's map, making it easy to identify. The estate was founded in 2006, making it a relatively "young" estate. Its name is taken from the names of Mr. Roberto's daughter Aurora and granddaughter Mar, which together form AUROMAR (Auromar Estate).

In 2013, Auromar entered the BOP competition for the first time with its "Ironman Geisha" and took first place in the washed category; since then, it has made the competition's candidate list almost every year. Today, Auromar not only has an impressive award record, but the specialty Geisha it produces each year has also earned it considerable fame worldwide.

The estate covers a total area of 30.5 hectares, about half of which remains native tropical rainforest. The average annual temperature here ranges between about 16–25°C, with annual rainfall reaching 3,500 mm, and combined with the unique terrain, this creates a very ideal microclimate. To harmonize coffee cultivation with the primitive forest, Roberto led his team in replanning the planting zones within the estate, controlling a reasonable planting density, with coffee trees distributed between 1,570 and 1,770 meters above sea level. Because the estate is rich in plant species, the owner also transplanted local banana, avocado, cedar, and other plants beside the coffee trees to provide denser shade for them.

Origin of the Name Ironman Geisha

Auromar's owner, Roberto Brenes, once served as governor of the Central Bank of Panama and only bought the estate after retirement, and he himself is very passionate about triathlon. So he named one lot of the estate's Geisha coffee beans Ironman.

The Geisha that won Auromar the BOP championship in 2013 was washed-process, so the domestic coffee market habitually calls Auromar's washed Geisha "Ironman Geisha." Today, Auromar not only has an astonishing award record, but the specialty Geisha it produces each year has also made it famous around the world.

In addition, when Auromar participated in the BOP competition in 2014, a natural-process Geisha took tenth place. To distinguish it from the Ironman Geisha, this natural-process Geisha lot was named after the owner's most beloved little granddaughter, called Camilina.

Since then, Auromar's washed Geisha lots each year have been called "Ironman Geisha," while the natural-process Geisha lots are called Camilina Geisha.

In 2022, Auromar's Ironman Geisha once again won the washed category championship at the BOP competition. Before that, Front Street Coffee had already acquired the estate's new-season Camilina natural Geisha coffee beans.

Front Street Coffee: Panama Auromar Geisha

Region: Panama · Volcán

Estate: Auromar

Altitude: 1,500–1,700 m

Variety: Geisha

Process: Natural

Auromar also puts a great deal of effort into the processing of its natural coffee. Every harvest season, the estate arranges for workers to hand-select coffee cherries at just the right ripeness to ensure higher sweetness in the fruit. The fresh cherries are then promptly sent to a processing plant not far away and evenly spread on raised drying beds covered with shade cloth to dry; depending on the weather, the whole process takes about 25–30 days. Once dried, the parchment beans are first placed in a cellar used to block moisture and left to rest for a period before being hulled, the aim being to give the coffee greater cleanliness.

Before sun-drying, workers pick Geisha coffee cherries at just the right ripeness, then evenly spread them on raised beds and tend to them carefully to ensure each cherry dries evenly. Because this is whole-fruit natural processing, the sugars in the pulp give Auromar's natural Geisha a more pronounced sweetness and a richer flavor.

Therefore Front Street Coffee uses a medium roast, preserving the delicate fruit acidity while making the coffee's body fuller and more richly flavored. For pour-over brewing, a medium-fine grind is recommended (caster sugar size / 80% passing through a Chinese No. 20 standard sieve), then brew with 90–91°C water at a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15.

Place the filter paper in the V60 dripper, pour in water to wet the paper and help it adhere better. Add the coffee grounds and tap gently so the bed is evenly distributed. For the first pour, gently add 30 g of water to bloom for 30 seconds; for the second pour, add water up to about 125 g, circling outward evenly and steadily. Then wait for the coffee liquid to drop, and when it has fallen by half, pour the final portion of water up to 225 g. After all the coffee has dripped through, the total extraction time is generally about 2 minutes.

Flavor of Auromar Natural Geisha coffee beans: the entry begins with a floral fragrance, followed by the rich fruity aroma of ripe strawberry, guava, and pineapple, with especially prominent sweetness. As the temperature drops slightly, the sweet-tart notes of berries such as blueberry, cherry, and grape begin to emerge, and after swallowing you can still sense an oolong-tea-like aftertaste. The mouthfeel is very smooth, and the finish is transparent and long-lasting, making you want to take the next sip right away.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.