Description
El Salto • Bajo Boquete — Panama
Panama El Salto Finca Camiseta Laurina Anerobic Natural
Region El Salto, Bajo Boquete • Process Natural (Dry) • Variety Laurina • Altitude 1,500+ m
QUALITIES: fruity • sweet • vibrant
RECOMMENDED ROAST: Medium–Light
CHAFF LEVEL: Moderate (more than washed)
What is Laurina coffee? Laurina is a special strain of coffee with very low caffeine levels, although it still has some, in a sense it is as close to “natural” decaf as it gets. Generally about 1/2 to 1/4 of the normal caffeine levels of Arabica. It is a smaller tree, more like a shrub or smaller Christmas tree. Very low yield plant, that can be quite finicky to grow. Almost nobody is growing it in larger quantities. Our buddies over at the Perfect Daily Grind have written a lovely article about the strain.
This offering not only takes the cake as our first Laurina coffee, but also as the most expensive coffee we have ever had on offer. A tiny lot, we could only get our hand on 50 pounds of each the natural and washed. Our only comparison to these lots: We did see a top lot from a different farm, also only 44 pounds, in the Best of Panama competition go for about $3800 per pound. It is likely a little higher rated than this lot, at those prices, I didn’t buy any to compare, but this is a crazy clean, very highly rated top lot as well. Expensive, yes, but this lot is an affordable super premium/exotic comparatively. Otherwise super clean top lots of Laurina like this one, seem almost non existent on the market regardless of origin. We have seen a couple lower scoring lots around from other origins, even those tend to sell at a pretty big premium and will not taste anywhere close to these lots.
TASTING NOTES – ROASTING NOTES
Light Roast
Bright lime-citrus • Red fruit (raspberry/red apple) • Gentle floral • Medium-light body
Medium Roast
Balanced and round • Raspberry/melon sweetness • Chocolate/caramel undertone • Silky finish
Dark Roast
Lower acidity • Dark chocolate/cacao • Caramelized sugars • Fuller body • Sweet, robust finish
Flavor Profile
Sugarcane • Chocolate • Caramel • Lime • Melon
Natural processing amplifies sweetness and fruit: raspberry/red apple and melon over a chocolate/caramel base, with a lime-leaning citrus brightness, gentle florals, and a medium-light body. As it cools, a pleasant sugarcane note emerges with a delicate green-tea/herbal finish.
ORIGIN: El Salto – Bajo Boquete (Boquete, Panama)
El Santo – Finca Camiseta (Laurina — Natural)
Panama’s Boquete region is famed for its volcanic soils and high elevations. Finca Camiseta sits in El Salto (Bajo Boquete) at 1,500+ masl. The estate began near Volcán Barú in the late 1940s with the Suárez family. As it prospered, founders Vidal and Eira Suárez
acquired neighboring plots; today their daughter Laura E. Suárez manages Camiseta, Los Limones, and Doña Eira. They primarily cultivate
Typica, Catuai (incl. Yellow Catuai), and Geisha, and also experiment with Laurina, a rare gem.The Panamanian region of Boquete is famous for producing some of the best coffee in the country, thanks to its rich volcanic soil and high altitude. Finca Camiseta is located in El Salto, Bajo Boquete, at over 1,500 meters above sea level.
The farm was started in the late 1940s near the foothills of the Barú Volcano, marking the beginning of the Suárez family’s coffee-growing tradition. As the farm prospered, founders Vidal and Eira Suárez acquired neighboring properties; today, their daughter Laura E. Suárez manages three farms (Camiseta, Los Limones, and Doña Eira) in this area, making it one of Boquete’s leading coffee producers.
The estates primarily grow Arabica varieties such as Typica, Catuai (including Yellow Catuai), and Geisha. Although they also experiment with unique varieties such as Laurina. Laurina (also known as Bourbon Pointu) is a rare dwarf Bourbon mutation, prized for its low caffeine content (about half that of most Arabica beans) while offering an excellent, delicate flavor profile.
Laurina LowER cAFFEINE
What Makes Laurina Especial?
Laurina (also called Bourbon Pointu) is a dwarf Bourbon mutation prized for its naturally lower caffeine roughly half that of many arabicas (exact levels vary by farm and process). In the cup it tends to be clean and sweet, with pleasant acidity and a medium-light body, highlighting delicate fruit and floral notes. In this natural version, whole-cherry drying further boosts red fruits (raspberry/red apple), melon, and a sugarcane-like sweetness as it cools, over a chocolate/caramel base. Note: natural processing produces a bit more chaff than washed.
Seasonality — Harvest
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Primary high-altitude harvest window: Oct → Mar (Boquete — El Salto)
Roasting Notes: An easy coffee to roast, very nice screen. Tasty from light to dark, but to see why this coffee is super special and expensive, keep it light roasted. Good to get a little pinch past first crack to minimize the sharpness, and we recommend a longer setup of 3-6 days. Layers of lovely fruit and spice will pop right out. If you just love the idea of natural low caffeine, roasting medium to dark is very acceptable but will hide its super clean, fruity, and balanced features. All in all, if you are pushing the roast level, we thought the washed processed held up better.
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