Esmeralda, Panama

The farm that breaks records

Quite possibly the most famous coffee farm in the world by modern standards, Hacienda La Esmeralda, famed for its multi award-winning coffees  and setting many auction price records, is nestled high in the Boquete hills more or less straddling the active volcano and highest peak in Panama, Volcan Baru.

This particular coffee derives from the Palmira farm, which was the first piece of land the Peterson family purchased in 1967 and forms the centrepiece of the Hacienda La Esmeralda estate. Palmira specialises in the Catuai varietal which is indigenous to the region and well-loved for its nuanced brightness and clean cup.

All the coffee here is milled using the washed process, and all of the water used for milling is recycled.  The farm, like all of those at Hacienda La Esmeralda, is certified by the Rainforest Alliance which aims to protect ecosystems, workers and local communities.

This coffee is certainly punchy, even compared to the ubituitous Gesha that the farm is so well-known for, however, if you want to sample something similar to a Gesha without forking out serious wads of cash, try our current stock of Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Can you taste it?

The coffee that has everything — this bursts open with Nutella and you can taste the chocolate and hazelnut like you’ve just put a spoonful in your mouth!  The texture is smooth and aftertaste sweet, with the nut now resembling walnut.  As the bold front flavours settle, it changes direction slightly and subtle stonefruit and cherry-like acidity makes its way through, which combines with the front flavours to resemble a black forest gateaux.  Lots of food!  The combination of round and bright flavours makes this a well-balanced cup and could easily be mistaken for a blend, but tastes far, far better.

Our recommendation

As with all Central American coffees, but particularly so with those from Panama, this Catuai is excellent both in filter or espresso.

The juiciness and sweetness of the cherry notes shine in espresso, so try this one straight up, or to provide a scrummy base to your milk drinks.

As for filter, this one works well in the cafetiere/french press — the immersion seems to extract all of the qualities of this coffee without getting bitter too easily.  Go for a medium, possibly even fine grind — don’t go too coarse with this.

Remember that the coffee is roasted to order as a fresh product — we recommend that you drink it within 2 weeks, 4 weeks at most from the roasting date, or the coffee will be far from its best!