Panama
Central America
While coffee’s Panamanian roots run as deep and far back as the early 1900s, the country’s prominence in international markets didn’t come until Geisha showed up in the ‘60s. Since then, the verdant landscape of the Chiriquí Highlands has become a hotspot for impeccable coffee, which, in turn, brought their other varietals more into the spotlight. Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Panama Boquete is made up of Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo beans.
Casa Ruiz Estate
Maria and Plinio Ruiz now run the century-old family farm, and have turned it into a formidable, dynamic operation in Panama. In addition to producing some of the best coffee around, Casa Ruiz is also responsible for co-founding the Ngäbere literacy program, which provide education and support for the indigenous Ngäbe people who work during harvest season. Maria and Plinio take great care of their employees and the land, committing their entire operation to sustainable environmental practices.
The Estate is seemingly self-sufficient, in that the shade trees canopying their crops provides natural fertilizer, which promotes the well-being of the native insect ecosystem. The trees are also home to various birds that, although living rent-free in coffee paradise, help producers by eating species like the coffee borer beetle and coffee leaf miner. This reduces the need for pesticide spraying, making Casa Ruiz a name to look out for in international coffee markets. Casa Ruiz sits between Volcán Barú National Park and La Amistad International Park, giving it prime, high-elevation real estate and rich, volcanic soil for their coffee.
Washing and Drying
Our Panama Boquete is fully washed and sun-dried on patios and in mechanical dryers. Fully washed is typical of high-quality coffee. Washed coffee is all about the seed, not the cherry. Most specialty coffees are washed because this process gives the most true-to-origin experience, as the mucilage can impart syrupy flavors if left intact during processing. Washed coffee dried on cement patios takes about 6 - 7 days until it’s ready. The beans are spread out thin in layers in rows and shifted every 30 - 40 minutes. When the weather isn’t favorable, producers may opt to dry their harvests in mechanical dryers, which help them repeat successful harvests and control temperature.
Fresh Roasted Coffee
Because this coffee grows so high up, we roast to preserve its naturally delicate, spiced wine, and fruit notes. Roasting to a Medium level adds a little Maillard flavor to the palate in the form of brown sugar and velvety pecan, balancing out the profile.
1 Comment
My Dad was stationed in Panama WWII. He’d always say they had the Best Coffee. I wonder what he say about Panama Boquete? I love it!
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