Panama Boquete - Camiseta Estate

Fresh and delicious Single Origin coffees roasted and ready for you to pick up! In the photo: Panama Boquete - Camiseta Estate.

Panama Volcancito - Don K

Don K is a short name for "Don Koyner," which refers to Alexander Koyner MacIntyre who emigrated from Canada to Panama in the early 1900's to pursue coffee farming. He built the Kotowa wet mill, which is considered to be the oldest wet mill in Panama. Ricardo, Alexander's grandson owns and operates both Don K, and Duncan estate, both using different approaches to produce excellent coffee.

In the cup it's blueberry with cinnamon, hazelnut, butterscotch, warm honey, and hints of cocoa. Outstanding!

Panama - Duncan Estate

A wonderful Panama just came out of the roaster!

Duncan Estate is a third generation organic certified coffee farm above the town of Boquete in Northern Panama. The coffees are prepared by Ricardo, the owner, and taken to sun dry on raised patio beds. The diverse micro-climate above Jaramillo is also a factor in producing such a complex and flavorful offering.

In the cup it's juicy tart red fruit and prune with hints of mandarin sweetness on a bed of creme caramel. One of our favorites!

Panama Boquete - Garrido Estate Lot 26-92

Fresh out of the roaster and available Whole Bean at caffe d'bolla right now is Panama Boquete - Garrido Estate Lot 26-92.

This offering is the combination of two specific small lots from Garrido Estate, lot 26 and lot 92. The farm, called mama Cata after the family's Matriarch, is located in the Alto Quiel area of Boquete, one of the best areas for coffee in Panama.

Coffee is hulled and sorted at their own mill, just outside of Boquete. It's shipped to their wet mill for processing. Jose Garrido separates each wet processed batch and cups each individually to continuously improve quality control.

In the cup it's sweet and juicy cooked apple notes with hints of molasses and almond skin. Aromatic wood notes climb through the cup as well. A perfect balance of sweet and bittersweet. An absolutely outstanding Boquete coffee.

Panama Carmen Estate - 1900 Meters Microlot

John just roasted SO Panama Carmen Estate - 1900 Meters Microlot. Carmen Estate is located on a hillside high above the well-known Finca La Florentina. it has been passed down through several generations and is now owned by Carlos Franceschi Aguilera (Carmen was his grandmother.)

This coffee has been in the top 10 of the Best of Panama competition too may times to count, from #2 to #5 spot every year in fact. This farm stars at 1750 meters and goes up from there. This particular microlot is courtesy of Thompson Owen, who has a special arrangement which allows him to buy coffee from a particular microlot located at 1900 meters.

In the cup it's lemon, tangerine and a bit of orange zest with a wonderful honey sweetness. As always, it's a remarkable coffee.

Pursuing Perfection with Panama: Siphon Techniques

John says...

Today I am testing the Panama Carmen Estate
This coffee was roasted 9 days ago at a City roast.


Test 1:
Grind at 4 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Test 2:
Grind at 2 notches above espresso grind on Mazzer Mini.
9 grams coffee, 5 ounces water.
Coffee in. Water Boil and up. Stir to saturate grounds and distribute heat evenly.
Brew 40 seconds.
Heat off.
Stir Rapidly.
Cool and drink.

Results.

This coffee being roasted a hair lighter, my suspicions were found to be true.

Test 1 was a balanced peach/vanilla with very subtle, yet sweet citrus notes.
As the cup progressed the citrus became more defined, but surrounded by an essence of vanilla.

Test 2 had more separation up front in the cup. Strong Peach notes with a bright citrus aftertaste. As the cup cooled, the vanilla came out and began to mingle with the peach.

The finish in Test 1 was sweet light citrus.
The finish in Test 2 was a bright citrus with the slightest hint of vanilla.

What does this tell me?

It's obvious that even with a small adjustment, there is a direct correlation between roast level and grind. And it is the balancing of the sweet, citrus, and more rounded, or even spice notes that are where the technique comes into play.

Tomorrow I will use the same method on the Papua New Guinea Peaberry, which has a lot of spice and tea notes.

more to come...

Panama

John says...

I roasted a new batch of Panama Carmen Estate to a light City roast.
Floral, tangerine/peach and vanilla as it cools.

Experimenting with a radical espresso blend of Panama Carmen Estate and an excellent Kenyan from the Nyeri district.
So far the results are promising.

Roaster's Choice 021808 Panama Carmen Estate Reserve

This offering of the Award Winning Panama Carmen Estate is harvested by hand from a reserved lot on only those coffee trees growing from 1750 to 1900 meters and higher. The high elevation contributes to the sweetness in the cup.


1st place in the Rainforest Alliance cupping competition in 2005, 3rd place in the Best of Panama competition in 2003, 2004, and 2006, 2nd place in 2005, and 4th in 2007.

Peach, apple, lemon, cherry and a sweet nutty body and bright crystalline aftertaste make this a coffee worth savoring.

Roaster's Choice 110307 Panama Carmen Estate 1800+ Meters

This offering of the Award Winning Panama Carmen Estate is harvested by hand from a reserved lot on only those coffee trees growing at 1800 meters and higher. The high elevation contributes to the clarity in the cup.


1st place in the Rainforest Alliance cupping competition in 2005, 3rd place in the Best of Panama competition in 2003, 2004, and 2006, 2nd place in 2005, and 4th in 2007.

Peach, apple, lemon, cherry and a sweet nutty body and bright crystalline aftertaste make this a coffee worth savoring.

Record Setting Best of Panama!!!

Pamama Esmeralda has taken first place in every Best of Panama competition it has been in, and once again, this year is no different. Last years crop commanded $53 per pound green; this years first place offering went for $130 per pound. Yes One-Hundred-and- Thirty Dollars per pound green!



Is this coffee worth it? In a word, yes.

You can see the final auction results here.

While there is a huge gap between this coffee and the others in the competition, the limited offering (just 500 pounds) and the brilliance in the cup created fierce competition for this remarkable coffee. We will all wait with giddy anticipation to see what the auction winners have planned for this years Panama Esmeralda.

Hail to Carmen

John says -

We have a new small shipment of Panama Carmen Estate available for 'Roast to Order'. It's consistently been in the top three 'Best of Panama' since the inception of the competitions. A truly remarkable coffee.

Panama Carmen Estate

The Press Pot Coffee we're brewing this week is Panama Carmen Estate. This award-winning coffee was rated #3 Best of Panama 2003-2004, and #2 in 2005. The coffee was also the First Place Coffee in the 2005 Rainforest Alliance Cupping competition. This select crop has a bright raisin flavor that cools to a distinct cherry flavor. It's delicious.


Ripe coffee cherries of this coffee, Paso Ancho, Volcan.