Panama La Gloria

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. La Gloria Estate sits towards the bottom of the volcano so it's right on the edge of the two regions, and I've seen some refer to the farm as Volcan and some refer to the farm as Boquete, but technically it is a Volcan region coffee.

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. Slight hints and flashes of floral (rose), grapefruit, chocolate, and apricot are there if you really pay attention as the coffee changes temperature while you're sipping at your mug. I'm getting a hint of earthiness, but it's not bad; I can call it dark cacao and it doesn't bother me.

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. About 5 degrees past the ending of the first cracks. Very pleasant aftertaste, and overall, it tastes like normal coffee -- this isn't a natural processed fruit bomb or a bright citrus Kenya. This is just a really high end complex Central American coffee. 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 June 2020