Central American
Panama Boquete Berlina Estate
Panama Boquete Berlina Estate
The two main coffee regions in Panama are Boquete and Volcan. This one is is Northern Panama in Boquete and was founded by a German who was meticulous to detail. The coffee is 100% ripe when it is picked, and it is sorted carefully and processed on site. They are proud of their work and their harvest.
What I've found with Panama is that all of them are a bit pricey, but some lots are boring and more like a Nicaragua whereas some lots are well worth the money -- floral and sweet and a little fruity on par with a really nice Costa Rica. This is one of the very first arrivals from Central America this year, and it's very good. It reminds me of a really nice Costa Rica. It has some red apple, juicy, sweet, citrus, caramel notes.
We roast it quite light. 8 degrees past the ending of the first cracks (just like a Costa Rica). Keep it out of the 2nd cracks. Even as you approach 2nd cracks, the bean has lost a lot of what makes it special. If you like microlot El Salvador and Costa Rican washed process coffees, you'll dig this one -- and you'll want to roast it pretty much under the same roasting curve and end points that you use for those beans.
US Arrival: April 2022