Description
El Salto • Bajo Boquete — Panama
El Salto – Finca Camiseta – Laurina (Washed)
Region El Salto, Bajo Boquete • Process Washed • Variety Laurina • Altitude 1,500+ m
QUALITIES: clean • sweet • smooth
RECOMMENDED ROAST: Light–Medium (lean light)
CHAFF LEVEL: Low
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 awesome boutique lots.
Flavor Profile
Clean & Sweet • Floral (light) • Caramel • Malty • Low Acidity
A clean, sweet, silky cup with a hint of floral at lighter roasts. As it moves into medium, the sweet nutty character shifts toward caramel and a more pronounced malty base, while acidity stays low. Dark roasts get bolder and blend the sweeter malty cup with a subtle smoky/roasty accent.
Roasting notes
Low Chaff, Nice Scream, Low Chaff
This washed Laurina shines between medium-light and medium, depending on what you want to highlight. For florals and cleanliness, aim for medium-light: keep the heat even, let first crack begin, and drop shortly after for a silky, bright cup. If you want caramel, malt, and a hint of nut, take it to medium: stretch the finish a bit and ease the heat to round the sweetness without bitterness. In both cases, avoid pushing too hard early and let it rest 24–48 hours so the profile settles.
TASTING NOTES – ROASTING NOTES
Light Roast
Medium body – Hint of crisp florals – Sweet nutty – Clean, silky finish
Medium Roast
Balanced – Caramel – Malty/Nutty – Low acidity – Very smooth
Dark Roast
Fuller body – Malty sweetness – Smoky/roasty notes – Low acidity – Bold finish
ORIGIN: El Salto – Bajo Boquete (Boquete, Panama)
El Salto – Finca Camiseta (Laurina — Washed)
Located in some of the best growing territory in Panama, the same area that our buddies Keith Pech (Damarli Estate) and David Garrido (Mama Cata) are in. A beautiful washed processed (classic) coffee. A great everyday drinker. This washed coffee comes from Camiseta Estate, one of three farms owned by Laura E. Suárez, also including Dona Eira Estate and Los Limones Estate. The varieties Typica, Catuai, Catuai Amarillo and Geisha are mainly grown here. The farms are located in El Salto, a municipality in Bajo Boquete, at altitude above 1,500 meters. The Catuaí variety is predominantly grown at Camiseta Estate and the coffee has a particularly beautiful citric acidity.
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)
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