Panama - Mil Cumbres Pacamara Natural

Mil Cumbres is a first-generation coffee farm in Cloud Valley, Cordillera, Volcan founded by Mario Fonseca, whose Geisha & Pacamara have ranked among the top auction lots at the Best of Panama. In 2024, Mario’s Flair Geisha broke into the Auction Lots for the first time, ranking 17th in the Geisha Washed Category, along with the achievement of 2nd Place in Varietals with a Pacamara —a coveted level-up from placing 6th in 2023.

A lawyer by trade, Mario was inspired by his uncle Payin, whom he regards as the true coffee enthusiast & credits for imparting the passion to keep discovering Panama's distinctive & diverse coffees to him since his youth.

He graciously acknowledges how Mil Cumbres' accomplishments are possible because of the strong camaraderie among the country's coffee-growing community, reminiscent of the spirit of unity that led to the SCA Panama's establishment in the 1990s, & is exemplified by the generous mentorship of Mario by Ratibor Hartmann, seasoned 3rd generation producer of the celebrated Hartmann coffee family heritage.

Pacamara is a crossbreed of the Maragogype and Pacas varieties, characterized by very large bean size and potential for exceptional cup quality. These characteristics predispose it to express a diverse array of high-quality flavors that may be revealed through thoughtful processing. It is a varietal that frequently figures among the higher scoring non-Geisha lots at the Best of Panama.

Through the thoughtful production of Pacamara and other varieties alongside the Geisha, Mil Cumbres caters to specialty coffee enthusiasts who may be at earlier stages in their journey of sensory discovery, or simply are looking to taste the best of Panama apart from the Geisha.

Consequently, this contributes to expanding appreciation of Panama as a specialty coffee origin of a diversity of coffee varieties and their myriad flavor profiles.