About Panama Kotowa Duncan Natural
Panama Kotowa Duncan Natural process is a fruity coffee we've had a few times in the past that we are pleased to offer again. We also have the coffee available in their washed process which produces a less fruit forward interpretation.
The Kotowa farm, in its third generation, has several outstanding plots of land. We have had the pleasure of visiting Kotowa's farms, their old wetmill and their wonderful home, overlooking the beautiful Boquete mountainside and the Baru Volcano. Ricardo Koyner owns coffee shops too, located throughout Panama City and elsewhere in Panama, so much of Kotowa's production is used at home, reducing exportable quantities. In 2016 Cafe Kotowa was awarded the 3rd edition of the Best Producer Panama Cup which recognizes the producer whose coffees make it to the final round of each category in the Best of Panama competition.
This is a pedigreed coffee at an affordable price. Cafe Kotowa has had impressive showings in many Best of Panama coffee competitions, taking home 3rd place last year in the "Traditional Natural" category with a Caturra lot, and securing three awards in both 2018 and 2017 in different categories.
In 2006, The National Environmental Agency presented Kotowa Coffee as the winner of The Panama National Award for "The Years Environmentally Cleanest Industry". They provide free medical attention for their workers, and for the children they have a nursery with meals and a school program. Kotowa's social programs for the children and families producing this great coffee has earned them recognition from UNICEF nine years in a row.
- Farm Name: Cafe Kotowa
- Coffee Name: Kotowa Duncan Natural
- Variety: Caturra and Catuai
- Process: Washed
- Elevation: 1700 meters (5600 feet)
- Growing Region: El Salto, Volcancito
- Owner: Ricardo Koyner
- Exporter: Specialty Coffee Association of Panama
- Mill: Cafe Kotowa
Cup Characteristics: Black raspberry and cherry notes. Very balanced with smooth texture. Significantly sweet and juicy.
Roasting Notes: Like most dense, hard bean and delicate coffees, we always suggest keeping it to the lighter roast side, maybe midway between first and second crack. This maximizes nuances, in this case the lemony, silkiness that further roasting will diminish. On a Behmor try P2 or P1 to bring it up faster or shift to manual for a quick ramp then slowly glide into the development phase.
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Panama coffee facts:
Population (2018): 4.1 million people
Coffee Production: 100,000 bags (60 kg)
Country bag capacity: 132 pounds - 60 kg
Domestic Consumption: 50,000 bags
Coffee Export: 50,000 bags
Cultivated Area: 26,000 Hectares (64,200 acres)
Harvests: October - February
Arabica Introduced: Arabica was imported from Costa Rica in 1820.
Specialty Coffee Regions: Boquete and Volcan, near Volcan Baru, Chiriqui.
Grades: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), HB.
Farms: About 30,000 farms.
Botanical Varietals: Typica, Caturra, Gesha, Catuai, Pacamara.

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.