Panama - El Burro Geisha Natural Lot 16

The Lamastus Family Estates have accrued the most Best of Panama awards to date. They won the Producer of the Year Award in 2022, which followed their two peat victories in 2018 for the Washed Geisha category and in 2019 for both Washed and Natural.

A coffee company founded in 1918 by Robert Lamastus, they have evolved with the times under the leadership of Robert's son Thatcher, grandson Wilford Sr., and great-grandson Wilford Jr. They have accrued the most BOP awards to date.

Their four farms are Elida, El Burro, Luito, and Lulo, each one benefitting from discrete microclimates which, together with variety, are primarily responsible for the intricacies and flavor potential of their coffees.

El Burro Estate is among the southernmost coffee farms in Panama, nearest to the Pacific Ocean. Part of the Estate falls within the protected ecological forest reserve, Baru Volcano National Park (BVNP).

As such, it benefits from abundant forest cover, nutrient-rich volcanic soils, and a specific combination of different temperatures, winds, and precipitation, comprising the unique microclimate that translates to the distinctive flavors of each cup of El Burro Geisha.

Recognizing they have been blessed with the ideal terroir, the Lamastus family profoundly believes their coffees are a gift from Mother Nature. Respectful of that, they favor innovations in drying techniques rather than experimenting with inoculation during fermentation. They also implement classic washed, natural, and honey processes. No matter the method, Lamastus Family Estates enforce strict protocols at every stage to achieve excellent quality consistently.

This El Burro Panama Geisha underwent the traditional natural process, where carefully handpicked red-burgundy to grape-colored cherries were first left untouched overnight. The next morning they were placed directly on drying beds where they stayed for no more than 30 days. Through this process, in contrast with washed, the interaction of the coffee bean with the whole cherry allowed for fruitier and sweeter qualities to come through, as in the complementary layers of candied and caramel sweetness balanced by berry and citrusy acidities enlaced with the florality of jasmine.

While a coffee’s truest intrinsic qualities are still largely believed to be showcased best by traditional washed processing due to the demucilaging, washing, and scrubbing steps removing all traces of fruit from the bean, the expertise of seasoned and passionate producers like Wilford Sr. allows them to direct the flavor character of their coffees, like the Panama Geisha, towards a seemingly endless diversity of delightfully surprising trajectories through other methods.

They do this through the purposeful implementation of other traditional methods like the natural and honey processes, as well as intentional and innovative processing styles, all of which add to the complexity of the cup’s character — for example with added layers of flavor or improved mouthfeel — without compromising its inherent sensorial qualities from terroir and variety.

Panama Geisha is a rare, delicate, and complex variety well-loved for its sweet florality and citrus highlights. Since its debut win at the Best of Panama auction in 2004, it has kept specialty coffee lovers everywhere captivated by its endless possibilities, delicacy, complexity, and clarity of flavors. As such, it is often showcased on coffee competition stages by a great number of coffee champions, and it also continues to fetch the highest prices.