New crop just arrived early September 2009 - Elida Especial Reserve ranked in the top 10 at the Best of Panama competition this year. Just rated 91 points in Coffee Review (9/09). This coffee in 2007 earned us a 95 rating in Coffee Review. Fans of this coffee will not be disappointed in the vibrant, complex flavors available in this crop. This is a perennial favorite.
Elida Estate is located in the Volcan Baru National Park near Boquete. The farm is about 65 hectares (160 acres), 30 of which are planted with coffee trees; it produces about 400 60 kg bags annually. Elida coffee is grown at an altitude of between 5500 and 6000 feet above sea level, the highest level at which coffee is grown in Panama. In fact, Elida is one of the two highest coffee farms in Panama. Varietals grown are catuai and bourbon, with some geisha planted within the past few years. The auction lot is 100% catuai. Elida is washed coffee and it is sun dried. The farm has been owned by the Lamastus family since 1918. Because of the very high elevations where the Especial Reserve is grown, coffee is slow to mature and later to ripen and be harvested. When we were in Panama last April, serving as judges at the Best of Panama competition, Wilford Lamastus, the present caretaker, gave us a tour of his family's farm. It was amazing that in mid April trees at the highest elevations still had coffee cherries yet to be picked!
Cupping Characteristics: First impressions of Elida are a delicate, floral aroma in both ground and brewed forms. In the cup, it is very bright, with piquant acidity and fruity, melon-like sweetness with hints of chocolate and berries. It has medium/heavy body with a long, very smooth finish. This is truly an extraordinary and satisfying cup.
Roasting Notes: Preferred roasting range is City+ to Full City. The floral qualities of Elida Reserve will be present throughout this range, with lighter variations highlighting piquancy and citrus notes. Full City will enhance body.
Quantity in Basket: none
Panama coffee facts:
Population (2006): 1.3 million people Coffee Production: 180,000 bags (60 kg)Country bag capacity: 132 pounds - 60 kgDomestic Consumption: 80,000 bagsCoffee Export: 100,000 bagsCultivated Area: 26,000 Hectares (64,200 acres)
Harvests: October - February
Arabica Introduced:Arabica was imported from Costa Rica in 1820.
Specialty Coffee Regions:Boquete near Volcan Baru, Chiriqui.
Grades: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), HB.
Farms: About 30,000 farms.
Botanical Varietals: Typica, Caturra, Gesha.
Comments
Panama is a rising star in the specialty coffee world. In the Boquete in particular, farmers are taking Arabica coffee cultivation to new levels and recent auctions of small, specialty lots have garnered record, if not silly, prices. Nonetheless, some of the coffee is excellent. Gesha, a varietal that stems from Ethiopia, has been grown here with good success, yet other cultivars noted above, can produce superb results.
