Panama Standard Top Lots – 6 Half-Pound Sampler

Panama Premium Boquete – Finca La Alqueria – Pacamara Natural Processed

While popularizing single strains like Geisha along with dialing in hybrid controlled fermentation processing. A whole new world of coffee. Many Panamanian farmers found it very hard to compete price and volume wise with the neighbor countries so they decided to go boutique and high quality to save the industry in Panama, boy has it worked. Panama coffees now demand the highest prices and are often rated some of the highest in the world.

Finca La Alqueria is a friend of a friend, highly recommended by our buddies at Damarli Estate. Keith found this lot and sent us a sample, a wonderful natural Pacamara, we couldn’t help but to throw it in the container. Although natural processed, this is not a fruity natural, almost more similar to a washed processed in taste. The natural processing gives a little more sweetness and stronger crispness, accentuating the strength of the tones compared to the washed processed. The first thing one will notice about this lot, and most Pacamara beans, they have some giant beans. Basically only Pacamara and Margogype will produce beans this big. Pacamara beans are not only known for their size, but their full flavored sweet edged cups that pull nice contrast between brighter notes and a more rustic chocolaty undertone.

Tasting Notes: We found these beans best at the lighter roast points but works well from light to dark. An even heftier cup than the washed processed, full of floral, citric and sweet tones. Contrasting with malty, nutty and rustic chocolate tones. As the cup cools, you can see more of a fruity edge showing its natural processed roots, but it’s delicate and a bit more citric/peachy than traditional red fruit. Lighter roasts have a pretty blasty citric edge, starts lemony but fades to more of a limey tone in the aftertaste. Good to give it a longer setup, mellowing the brightness will allow many little flavors to pop out. Medium roasts are likely the best starting point for most, still plenty crisp but will accentuate the traditional darker tones and require less waiting after roasting. A wonderful mix of floral and malty/chocolaty without being too sour upfront. Darker roasts can pull a little bittersweet edge but are still very complex heftier cups, good for the stronger coffee fans or those looking for a more exotic dark roast.

Roasting Notes: Easy to roast but with a little higher chaff levels. Surface color appears darker than normal, watch for the expansion in size to mark lighter roasts and/or first crack. We recommend starting on the light to medium roast spectrum, this is where these high class beans will separate themselves from the competition. If you want to build more body and dark tones, or reduce the acidity, take it a bit darker. Lighter roasting can take 4-7 days to mellow out a bit, can be a bit punchy and sour if drank too soon. Medium to dark was pretty tasty after 24 hours, but still improved decently with a longer setup.

Panama Premium Boquete – Damarli Estate – Catuai Natural Processed

Tasting Notes: Although similar to the Typica, this Catuai is a more potent cup, stronger acidity with more complex darker tones (a little along the lines of African coffees). Light roasts themselves will be brighter with crisp lemony floral notes and more noticeable fruit tones, nutty tones to balance out the cup. Medium roasts bring a smoother and richer cup, develop the nuttiness into more of a malty/chocolate like taste, reduces the fruitiness but keeps the sweetness, still a bit lemony upfront but has a much more noticeable malt like tone with a bit of spice to balance it out. Darker roasts pull a little bitter/malty contrast but it goes well with the roasty and smoky tones and retains a sweet edge. A little longer setup sees a smooth a sweet darker roast.

Roasting Notes: A bit dependent on personal taste what to do with this coffee and can be a bit harder to roast. High chaff, good to reduce the batch size slightly. Looks way darker roasted than it is, even at first crack, looks like you are pushing 2nd crack. If you are seeing splotches of color on a single bean, you are still in the light to medium ballpark. A strong shine to the beans are you are getting closer to 2nd crack than first.  If you like acidity, floral and fruit tones, the light roast cup is pretty cool stuff. If you like traditional Panama and Central American coffee, good to go into the medium roast points to get some darker toned balance. Darker roasts will be exotic for the roast point, but we liked it best before 2nd crack. A longer setup time on these beans will help a ton, blasty coffees often need 3-5 days to start tasting their best.

Panama Premium Boquete – Damarli Estate – Noble Caturra “Redwood”

Tasting Notes: A very jazzy cup of coffee with a strong natural processed spin. Lighter roasting points (before 2nd crack) are where this cup will shine. Light roasts will be sizzling bright with intense citrus floral and fruit tones. The fruitiness is almost winy and more reminiscent of red grape skin, complex with a bit of astringency up front. The cup will be pretty front-loaded at the light roast points but will have a little contrast with a unique spice note and malty tones.

Medium roasts bring much more traditional darker tones to the cup and are where anyone who doesn’t like too much acidity should start; they are still a bit lemony upfront but fade quickly into soft fruit tones and more potent spicy malty/chocolaty notes. This is where the unique spice notes develop in the flavor profile; anise, pepper, and clove were some common descriptors the tasters threw.

Dark roasting is pretty wild, very fully flavored, and strong. It still has a hint of sweet fruit, but it is a stretch; a chocolate/malt undertone and strong spice will dominate the taste. Smooth and creamy, not too roasty, but unlike much else we have seen. Some will love this roast point, others will not.

Roasting Notes: It depends on personal taste what to do with this coffee, and it can be a bit harder to roast. It has high chaff and will roast a little unevenly; reducing the batch size slightly is good. It looks way darker roasted than it is; even at the first crack, beans will look like they are pushing 2nd crack. If you see splotches of color on a single bean, you are still in the light to medium ballpark. An intense sheen to the beans means you are getting closer to 2nd crack than the first.

Panama Premium Boquete – Finca La Alqueria – Pacamara Washed Processed

Tasting Notes: A crisp, bright, clean and balanced cup. We thought it best light-medium roasted but quite tasty from light to dark. This is an awesome example of washed processed Panama coffee. A hefty full flavored cup: floral, citric and sweet tones contrasting with malty, nutty and rustic chocolate like tones. A hint of soft fruit can be found as the cup cools in the light-medium roast levels. Lighter roasts push the tones towards the more acidic side but these beans are clean enough to handle the lighter roasting, give it a longer setup time after roasting. Medium roasts are the best starting point for medium-low acidity fans, it  balances the cup out nicely with traditional darker tones, a creamier body and mouthfeel. A wonderful mix of floral and malty/chocolaty without being too sour upfront. Darker roast get much heftier, good for the stronger coffee fans and will cut out all of the citric and fruitier components to the cup.

Roasting Notes: Easy to roast, wonderful prep and medium to low chaff. We recommend starting on the light to medium roast spectrum, this is where these high class beans will separate themselves from the competition. If you want to build more body and dark tones, or reduce the acidity, take it a bit darker.

Panama Premium Boquete – Garrido Estates – Washed SHB

Tasting Notes: We thought best from medium to dark roasts but works from light to dark. A clean, sweet and smooth daily drinking cup! A little fuller bodied at the light-medium roast level with a great balance between the slight winy/floral notes & nutty/malty darker tones. Similar to Guatemalan coffee. Some acidity at lighter roasts but just a hint, medium to dark roasts would be marked as low acidity. As one pushes it into the medium roast range, the very sweet nutty tones come off a bit caramel like. Still plenty malty, it will linger on the tongue.  Dark roasts turn pretty strong with the sweeter malty cup profile mixing nicely with smoky and roasty notes.

Roasting Notes: An easy coffee to roast, very nice screen. Good from light to dark, pretty low chaff and pretty even roasting. Darkens up pretty quickly, will look a little darker than it is. We recommend trying it on the lighter side of a medium roast to get a nicely balanced cup.

Panama Premium Boquete – Mama Cata Estate – Caturra Washed “Cañazal”

Tasting Notes: Great from light to dark. Light roasts will show great depth of flavor and produce a very clean cup. Some acidity, which brings lemony and floral tones to the front end of the tastes, balances them with a sweet edged nutty/malty undertone, hints of a vegetal spice. As one pushes the roast a little darker, the body increases, as the acidity and vegetal spice dissipated. Made for a very lovely daily drinker in the medium roast range; sweet, smooth & complex. Pushing the beans darker, the citric and floral acidity drops nicely to a crisp hint or none at all, the malty tones can turn quite robust as you approach or touch 2nd crack. Sweet, smoky, roasty and malty.

Roasting Notes: An easy coffee to roast, beautiful large beans. Good from light to dark, pretty low chaff and pretty even roasting. Darkens up pretty quickly, will look a little darker than it is. We recommend trying it on the lighter side of a medium roast to get a nicely balanced cup.