Panama Elida El Burro Geisha Natural ASD

About Panama Elida El Burro Geisha Natural ASD

Just arrived mid July, new crop, vacuum boxed and shipped to us via airfreight. This is from one of the top Geisha coffee producers in the world.  Needless to say, quantity is limited.  Note: we will also have another lot from Elida in the near future, albeit a bit more expensive. 

We visit the Lamastus family and Elida Estate just about every year and this year was no exception. We were there at the beginning of June. We actually had two extensive cuppings of the many selections from the farm. No other farm, in Panama or elsewhere, seems as fastidious about record-keeping and detailing every nuance of the harvest, by exact the location of each plot and property, by the date of harvest, the exact details of the processing method and also by cupping qualities. In addition to the family's skill at coffee production, they are also excellent cuppers. Each year we cup a lot of Elida Geisha (and Caturra) samples. Wilford sends us a great deal of samples to cup in our lab and then we are treated to a cupping at Wilford's farm and cupping room. Over the years we have selected coffee from different plots.  We have had Torre lots, Vuelta, Plano and others. But this year one that jumped out at us was from the El Burro Estate property.

This is El Burro Geisha ASD Natural Lot #16 T3D 160325.  It is a geisha green tip that was harvested on March 16th, then fermented in a tank for 3 days; after its fermentation, it was slowly dried on raised beds over a period of weeks.  ASD (Anaerobic Slow Dry): The “A” stands for anaerobic fermentation, where carbon dioxide is emitted, and no oxygen is let into the tanks. Fermentation time varies, and the whole fruit is in an anaerobic tank (T), followed by drying on beds. SD stands for Slow Dry.

Elida has won many, many awards and accolades.  Last year, in 2024, their Best of Panama 1st place winner in the Geisha Natural category (a Vuelta lot) sold for just over $10,000 per kilo, roughly $4,550 a pound. That is not typo. Shortly afterward, in Elida's private auction lot went for roughly the same price, shattering records along the way.  In prior years, Elida Geisha Natural took 1st place in both 2018 and 2019 Best of Panama competitions in the coveted Geisha Natural (Processes) category. Elida has broken price record repeatedly, beginning with a winner that sold for $809, then the following year the farm gave the world its first coffee to sell at auction for over $1,000 a pound ($1,029).  The most expensive coffee they have sold, just a 7 pound top lot, was just over $6,000 a pound, but wenty four other unique lots in the auction had an average price in excess of $300 a pound. While still expensive at our selling price, by any standard, this is an excellnent coffee, displaying power and finesse, fruit intensity and floral elegance, all at once. We were able to secure a small allocation through our longstanding Direct Trade relationship and friendship with the Lamastus family. 

The Lamastus Family Estates is group of four estates (3 producing, one just planted) named Elida Estate, El Burro Estate, Luito Geisha Estate, Luito Lulo lot Geisha Estate and Trompo Geisha Estate. All the farms are located in different areas of the highlands of Panama, making each one different from each other for its unique microclimate and microorganisms surrounding them as well as their terroir. 

El Burro Estate, one of the most-southern coffee farms in Panama, yields a different and unique cup profile. Part of the estate is inside the Baru Volcano National Park. Coffee is grown at a  mean elevation of 1,675 meters. Coffee at the El Burro properties benefits from the following factors:

• High elevation
• Rich young volcanic soils
• Low temperatures
• Unique Microclimate
• Surrounding virgin-native cloudy rainforest
• Extended ripening time

Wilford Lamastus Sr and Jr

From left, Patrick, Wilford Jr, Wilford Lamastus in front of just some of their many awards

Cup Characteristics: Intense aroma of florals and cocoa. Very floral with signature jasmine and plumeria as well as lots of tropical fruit notes including pineapple, papaya, mango and guava. Smooth mouthfeel of milk chocolate on the finish. Another excellent geisha natural from the Lamastus Family.

Roasting Notes: Geisha coffees need to be roasted on the light side in order to preserve their floral nature. Roast them too much and it will dissipate and much that you paid for will be lost. Let the coffee get fully past first crack, but if your roaster allows it, kick the heat down to nearly zero once first crack gets going and allow the coffee to slowly develop. You don't want to take this too close to second crack.