Panama is one of the smallest coffee growing regions but its unique coffees have become a necessity to all specialty coffee roasters of the world.  A coffee roaster seeking certain coffee beans to enhance his signature blends enjoys one of the best perks of purchasing green coffee beans. It is ‘direct farm relations’. Roasters who really want to know their coffees journey, travel the world to find certain beans with certain nuances. Earthy Naturals from Brazil and Africa, Crisp and Clean Acidity from Central America, a mild salty start and full body from Indonesia and the floral sweetness from Panama. Then like a chemist they work to make the perfect cup of coffee.

The world’s top coffee today - Boquete Gesha - has her noble lineage from seeds acquired by Don Pachi Serracin from the Center for Tropical Crops in Costa Rica back in the late 20 century. Clusters of Gesha trees are now climbing the highest hills all over Panama’s diverse microclimates - with a pleasant surprise! The abundant flavors that are exhibited produce an outstanding cup yet no one is as unique as Jaramillo Especial, the winners of this year Best of Panama.

Because its differently unique taste profiles, a Denomination of origin or Appellation Controlle’ program may be required for our regions to help to sustain the value, uniqueness in cup profile and production methods. This action could bring Panama coffee producers a greater income and more important, to you the consumer, a consistently great cup.
Choosing to experience Panamanian coffee gives you many options. Drinking the same unknown beans day after day, would compare to drinking blended box wine swapped into fancy corked bottles. It would look good but just wouldn’t knock your socks off!

There are many types of varietals of Arabica trees that maintain Panama drumming as an outstanding coffee origin for roasters. Floral notes of Boquete Gesha and Palo Alto Typicas, Palmira Caturra’s are known for the low acidity and rich chocolate, Quiel Catuai’s brightness and Pacamara’s natural taste of citrus and cocoa from the Horqueta microclimate-which is becoming a Samurai.

The type varietal is even more marked when it is enhanced by the coffee trees location. From the slopes of the Majestic Volcan Baru or Tizingal region in Ethiopia. The minerals, rivers and microclimate enhance the hardness of the beans. The nutrient rich soils allow the coffee roots to absorb plenty of minerals like Potassium, resulting in a greater ability to transform energy into sugar-concentrated beans. ‘’The objective is to enhance fruit and berry like flavors which are produced when the naturally existing yeasts on the pulp are allowed to infiltrate into the endosperm. The dried tannins on the pulp also are present, giving the aftertaste a dry cabernet like sensation’’, is how my coffee Guru helps explain coffee from fruit to cup.

Also, by adopting processing techniques observed worldwide, we can now produce 4 cup profiles and 3 different roasts from a single varietal. Amazing! The results are some 4 extra points above fully washed coffee. There is the well rounded clean finish of the Panama traditional Lavado method. This type of process is where the cherry is pulped and then either demucilaged or fermented to remove the sugars and sun dried into parchment at 11% moisture content.

Innovative coffee processors here in Panama are also experimenting with modifications of the traditional Ethiopian way of processing the cherry with the sugar dried on the parchment or inside the cherry unpulped. Coined The "Natural" and "Honey" brands, this treatment develops a fig like earthy sweetness to the cup with blueberry aftertaste. Some regions like Los Lajones and Alto Quiel are perfect to develop these profiles. This naturally processed coffee is what is often used as part of a Espresso Blend since there are natural pectin’s infiltrated into the beans which provide the required ‘crema’ to the espresso shot.

You would taste none of these nuances, notes, brightness, silky cocoa or even terrior if you roasted the heck out of it. There would barely be a difference in taste profile and all you would be left with is over roasted miscellaneous coffee beans. How sad is that?

The roast profile of a coffee should enhance the bean and bring out its terroir. This allows us to enjoy not just the jolt of a caffeine light roast, but to taste the region, microclimate and elevation in every cup.

It is impossible to appreciate the true flavor of coffee when the beans origins are sketchy or eclipsed into a burned dark roast. Even the best coffee processors in town have had a batch or two of defective beans spoiled by bad drying, dirty and stinky pulping machines or washing channels, late depulping or over-fermentation. These bad batches fate will be a dark roast in an attempt to hide imperfect beans. A truth to label program which indicates beans origins, varietals and production region should be implemented for all Panamanian coffee sold locally and internationally in order to teach dealers and consumers what really is inside that fancy labeled bag.

Native coffees-Panama
Micro-Roaster of Specialty Coffees at Origin.
Sold at the following select locations:
Deli Baru, Organico, El Arte Café, El Cacique,
Restaurant Palo Alto, Tammy’s Restaurant,
 Casa De Café-Plaza San Francisco
Or call 6-590-5302 and 507-720-2957

Taken from the Bajareque Times-July 2009

Boquete, Panama Coffee Information

How to Brew a Great Cup of Coffee

Fresh coffee is always the best coffee

by Kristina Lea Miller. Native Coffees Panama - 507 659 05302. stinamiller@ymail.com

Step one – Start by seeking freshly roasted and well processed Arabica beans now. The high elevation coffee is bright at finish because the highlands have great cool temperatures. Arabica varietals of coffee trees are the best tasting, smoother, sweeter, brighter and less caffeinated when grown in cool highlands. Arabicas specialty coffee is what has Panama in the map and everyone talking about it.

 Step two- Whole bean vs Ground? You can experiment yourself and see the difference between grinding your own beans, recognizing the shape of each bean and each variety rather than buying coffee already ground.
The difference is obvious, if you use a french press or a kona, where you can smell and see the brewing process happening, then you will see your freshly ground beans interacting with the hot water, rising up and expanding with the abundance of oxygen in the beans you have just ground. You will not get the same chemical reaction in coffee that has been ground for days or months.
The amount of time whole bean coffee remain fresh depends on how well it is stored on the shelf.

 Step three- Storage prevents flavor oxidation. Seek coffee packed with the oneway valved bag, which allows the gas produced by roasted beans to escape and prevents oxygen from entering and making contact with beans.
Then, keep these one way valved bags out of direct sunlight or heat. One way valved bags that are opaque or colored and not cellophane are the best. Coffee flavors remain crisp much longer if kept in a cool, dry place.
Remember, as soon as you open that bag of coffee, store it well and use it within a few weeks. When you buy coffee always looks for the roasting date, origin and process method. The above mentioned factors will help with the flavors, freshness and add pleasure. Roasted beans have a shelf life and freshness which begins deterring after 3 months no matter how good the beans were when they were roasted! So, buy it green directly from producers or FRESHLY roasted, you will smell and taste the difference.