Panama Auromar Geisha Natural

About Panama Auromar Geisha Natural

Arrived at our warehouse late October 2023, in vacuum packed boxes, airfreighted to us. This is a Direct Trade coffee and is the lot called "Catalina" after Roberto's granddaughter. We visited and cupped with him in May this year as we toured both Volcan and Boquete regions, meeting with many of our friends and colleagues while there.

We have been buying and offering Robert Brenes' Finca Auromar coffee for a number of years and it is always a solid Geisha. Like most agricultural products, coffees have some seasonal variations, but Auromar can be counted on in most years to be among the better Geisha coffees coming out of Panama. Though we have known Roberto for years, 2018 was the first time we got to visit his farm in Volcan, very close to the Costa Rica border. It is surrounded by some other notable farms but Roberto's farm is memorable for the sheer wildness of the property. As you stand around you mainly see forest and can hear the sounds of wild monkeys in the background. Interspersed amongst shaded forest canopy are his Geisha coffee trees. The 2022 crop was small most places in Central America but the 2023 crop was abundant. We have only a very small quantity to offer.

Finca Auromar has been in Brenes' wife's family for generations, and Roberto sees coffee farming as something to do through his retirement years. He is also head of the Panamanian stock exchange so he has a lot of knowledge of international finance; Panama, because of its centralized location and eponymous canal, is a fast growing country with interests from all over the globe. The capital, Panama City, is sometimes referred to as the "Dubai of the Americas" and is a place with much international investment. It wasn't always that way. During the Noriega years when under dictator rule, Panamanians suffered and lived in fear. A younger Brenes was an outspoken critic of the Noriega regime and was twice exiled from the country, something of a badge of honor when looking back on it. Educated in Panama through secondary school, Brenes went to Columbia University in New York where he earned an MBA, which led him to work in banking when he returned to his country. Later, while exiled and in South America, he transitioned his career to investment banking. Post Noriega and exile, when Panama was coming out from under dictatorship, Brenes was offered the role of Central Banker for the country. The zeal he brings to everything in his life is now being poured into his coffee farming and the results are obvious.

Geisha is a seed variety native to Ethiopia and probably a relative of the Longberry, with a somewhat large and elongated shape. This seed was experimentally planted in Boquete Panama along with many other varieties as a test of what might grow well in this particular micro climate. The result was the birth of a superstar in the world of coffee. Originally planted and brought to celebrity by the Peterson family of Hacienda Esmeralda, this variety started to break price records and the reputation and market for this coffee continues to grow.

• Name: Auromar Estate Geisha
• Lot name:  Catalina
  
• Producer: Roberto Brenes
• Growing Region: Jurutungo Candela, Volcan
• Varietal: Geisha
• Elevation: 1600 meters (5250 feet)
• Processing: Natural
• Drying: African beds

Cup Characteristics: Jasmine, plumeria, orange zest, sweet tea, other florals. Sweet and delicate.flavors of fruit and chocolate. A clean, sweet natural with a tangy bite.

Roasting Notes: Geisha coffees have delicate floral and fruit qualities that get lost when roasting too dark.  Likewise, roasting them too light will produce a watery brew unless you use considerably more coffee to water ratio. The object is to have a full first crack and extend the development time to as much as 90 seconds, but how to do that varies widely depending upon the roaster being used.  By all means avoid going into second crack.  This roasting method maximizes the variety's nuances, in this case the sweet acidity and floral Geisha notes that further roasting will diminish. Please note, this coffee throws off a good deal of chaff during roasting. If you're roasting on a Behmor keep the roast size under half pound and avoid opening the door.