Grande Coffee Adventure: The first Coffee Tasting Tour in Panama designed after the Napa Valley wine tasting tours. We are the only company allowed to tour some of Panama's Award winning, very private, exquisite, coffee estates. During this tour you will taste coffee from three different estate's, while driving through the lush cloud forest and mountain sides that have made Panama Coffee number one in the world. You will have the opportunity to purchase the hard to find, private estate coffee, at the source. Learn how to identify the different coffee's by region; what aroma and body mean to fully enjoy a cup of coffee; how to detect what flavors you are tasting such as; jasmine, chocolate, citrus, or fruit. Gain a better understanding of what to look for and how to buy the best coffee value when you return home.This adventure is designed to travel to different regions of Boquete, Panama to taste single estate boutique coffee; tour is 3.5 to 4 hours long.
(If you are coming to Boquete for several days, and would like to taste coffee produced from different micro-climates, elevations, processing methods,and regions, book more than one day).
$55 per person • minimum of 2 people
Pick-up at 8:00 am OR 1:30 pm
Includes pick-up at your hotel, water, juice, snacks, coffee, and all estate fees.
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El Poco (the little) Coffee Adventure: Visit a high elevation Boquete mountain coffee plantation, see the beneficio (processing mill), and taste several micro-roasted estate coffee's. Learn how to identify the different coffee's by region; how to detect what flavors you are tasting such as; jasmine, chocolate, citrus, fruity, or earthy. This tour is about 1.5 to 2 hours long, and travels to one estate. We will pick you up at your hotel at 8:00 am; 10:00 am, or 2:00 pm.
$30 per person • minimum of 2 people
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Group Rates available • e-mail us for a quote
Why is Boquete, Panama coffee so good?
The most important resource that makes this Special Panamanian Coffee unique is its microclimate. The east-west setting of the Republic of Panama allows the cold air currents that flow through the Central Mountain Range to converge at more than 6,500 feet, creating a great variety of different microclimates in the regions of Boquete and Volcán, Panama. These Special Coffees are cultivated in these richly nutritious and balanced lands located in the area of the Baru volcano.
The Special Coffees of Panama are classified and numbered by micro lots that are designed in small volumes for optimal management and that permits the buyer to know all the process information and tracing.
These high lands have the microclimates, soil, temperature and height adequate for the sowing, cultivating and harvesting of a great variety of Special Coffees with uncultivated flower themes, jasmine, mandarin, ripe fruit, berries, caramel, special sweet, vanilla and chocolate.
We will visit estate's at different elevations, different mico-climates, and plantations that use different growing and processing methods. You will taste the coffee from each estate we visit, have a chance to compare the different varieties, and bring home coffee you cannot buy anywhere else in the world.
Processing of coffee • is the method converting the raw fruit (cherry) of the coffee plant into the commodity green coffee. The cherry has the fruit or pulp removed leaving the seed or bean which is then dried. While all green coffee is processed, the method that is used varies and can have a significant effect on the flavor of roasted and brewed coffee.
Wet process • In the Wet Process, the fruit covering the seeds/beans is removed before they are dried. Coffee processed by the wet method is called wet processed or washed coffee. The wet method requires the use of specific equipment and substantial quantities of water.
Dry process • Dry process, also known as unwashed or natural coffee, is the oldest method of processing coffee. The entire cherry after harvest is first cleaned and then placed in the sun to dry on tables or in thin layers on patios.
Cleaning • The harvested cherries are usually sorted and cleaned, to separate the unripe, overripe and damaged cherries and to remove dirt, soil, twigs and leaves. This can be done by winnowing, which is commonly done by hand, using a large sieve. Any unwanted cherries or other material not winnowed away can be picked out from the top of the sieve. The ripe cherries can also be separated by flotation in washing channels close to the drying areas.
Drying • The coffee cherries are spread out in the sun, either on large concrete or brick patios or on matting raised to waist height on trestles. As the cherries dry, they are raked or turned by hand to ensure even drying and prevent mildew. It may take up to 4 weeks before the cherries are dried to the optimum moisture content, depending on the weather conditions. The dried cherries are stored in bulk in special silos until they are sent to the mill where hulling, sorting, grading and bagging take place. All the outer layers of the dried cherry are removed in one step by the hulling machine.
The dry method is used for about 95% of the Arabica coffee produced in Brazil, most of the coffees produced in Ethiopia, Haiti and Paraguay, as well as for some Arabicas produced in India and Ecuador. Almost all Robustas are processed by this method. 
Roasting coffee • transforms the chemical and physical properties of green coffee beans to roaster coffee products. The roasting process is integral to producing a savory cup of coffee. When roasted, the green coffee bean expands to nearly double its original size, changing in color, taste, smell and density. Unroasted beans boast all of coffee’s acids, protein, and caffeine — but none of its taste. It takes heat to spark the chemical reactions that turn carbohydrates and fats into aromatic oils, burn off moisture and carbon dioxide, and alternately break down and build up acids, unlocking the characteristic coffee flavor.
As green coffee is more stable than roasted, the roasting process tends to take place close to where it will be consumed. This reduces the time that roasted coffee spends in distribution, helping to maximize its shelf life.
At lighter roasts, the bean will exhibit more of its "origin flavor" - the flavors created in the bean by the soil and weather conditions in the location where it was grown. Coffee beans from famous regions like Panama, Kenya, Hawaiian Kona, and Jamaican Blue Mountain are usually roasted lightly so their signature characteristics dominate the flavor. As the beans darken to a deep brown, the origin flavors of the bean are eclipsed by the flavors created by the roasting process itself. At darker roasts, the "roast flavor" is so dominant that it can be difficult to distinguish the origin of the beans used in the roast. These roasts are sold by the degree of roast.
A note on flavor: Describing the tastes of different roasts is as subjective as putting a wine into words. In both cases there’s no substitute for your own personal taste. As a guide, if you can see the oil on the beans, as in the image above, you are more likely to taste the roasting flavors, than the individual characteristics of the beans.
Once coffee is ground it is best used within 24 hours.
Panama produces great Specialty, Gourmet Coffee and can be found in the U.S. at
Coffee from Panama
