Panama Cafe de Eleta

The two main coffee regions in Panama are Boquete and Volcan. Volcan is basically the Baru Volcano which is the highest mountain in Panama and has a surreal beauty and overlooks Boquete. Orchids naturally grow in the wild, rainbows are always present, everything is a lush green, and it has a jungle-like feel to it. Birdwatchers, hikers, anthropologists, photographers, etc all enjoy the beauty of Baru Volcan.

Cafe De Eleta is in a rainforest in the northern part of the Vulcan region in an area known as Piedra Candela, only a couple miles from Costa Rica. Of course all of the coffee grown on this mountain that I've ever had tried has been fantastic. Think of it as a Costa Rica, it has that balanced acidity, citrus undertone, and pleasant coffee taste. But it has an extra layer of complexity. Floral (nasturtiums?), Caramel, Grapefruit, Chocolate, Apricot and flashes of other flavors appear and disappear as the coffee changes temperature while you're sipping at your mug.

Keep it out of the 2nd cracks. Even as you approach 2nd cracks, the bean has lost a lot of what makes it special. We roast this like a fancy Costa Rica microlot and keep it quite light. 6 degrees past the ending of the first cracks. The grapefruit comes in the aftertaste, and the caramel in the beginning, and even though it sounds odd, the different stages of flavor in this coffee work well together. If you like microlot El Salvador and Costa Rican washed process coffees, you'll really 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 July 2018