Panama

El Burro

Honey Geisha

El Burro is the sister estate to Elida, located high on the Volcan Baru national park, on the fertile slopes of the extinct volcano.

This selection from the Lamastus family’s El Burro Estate showcases clear white florals atop a fresh base of tightly balanced citrus.

Producer
The Lamastus Family
Expression
Floral & balanced

Regular price: $39.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $39.00
incl. vat/tax
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The Lamastus Family

El Burro

Robert Lamastus started planting coffee on the Elida Estate in 1918. He soon expanded down the slopes, purchasing El Burro in 1925, continuing his work as one of the first in Panama to pursue quality coffee. Elida is located mainly within the Volcan Baru National Forest Reserve, providing rich biodiversity and thick rainforest shade for the coffee trees here. Coffee is planted up to 2000 metres above sea level, while the highest parts of the farm are left untouched, preserving the diversity of native forest species.

Nowadays, the Lamastus Family Estates are run by Robert’s grandson and great-grandson, Wilford and Wilford Jr.. The Wilfords have continued the focus on quality at their estates with their focus on the most lauded of coffee varietals, Geisha. Panama and Geisha are tightly connected, the iconic varietal had its breakthrough at Hacienda La Esmeralda, also located on the slopes of Volcan Baru.

"This intensity and complexity continues into the cup, in part due to excellent processing."

The conditions at Elida and El Burro are perfect for the production of the highest quality Geishas. At the top elevations, the temperature often drops below 10 degrees by night, lengthening the cherry maturation phase by about a month, slowing development and leading to a further concentration of sugars in the fruit. This intensity and complexity continues into the cup, in part due to excellent processing.

Panama

Honey Geisha

This lot is from the El Burro estate, located at around 1700 masl on the borders of the Volcan Baru National Park. This lot is from a single day of harvest, the 18th of February 2023. El Burro Geisha cherries were picked at a very developed degree of ripeness, at a deep burgundy colour, before being taken to the Lamastus family’s processing station, located on the Elida estate. The cherries are left overnight, beginning their fermentation in-cherry, before being de-pulped and transferred to raised beds to dry for 30 days, in thin layers and turning often.

This initial fermentation and careful drying leads to a very clean cup, almost reminiscent of a traditional washed Geisha profile. Here, the crisp white florals have an incredible clarity, and the intense citrus aromatics carry into the cup, balanced by the deep and rich honey sweetness.

Technical Data

Producer
The Lamastus Family
Region
Boquete
Altitude
1700 masl
Varietal
Geisha
Process
Honey
Harvest
February 2023

Honey Process

With the honey process a certain amount of mucilage and pulp are allowed to remain on the coffee bean during depulping. The cover will stay with the bean during fermentation and drying thereby contributing to the sugars absorbed by the bean and affecting the flavour notes of the final cup. The amount of mucilage remaining defines the type of honey process - white, yellow, red or black in ascending order of mucilage concentration. If they are processed properly, the coffees can take on quite a lot of sweetness and flavours while remaining clean.

Raised drying beds (sometimes referred to as African drying beds) are often preferable when working with honey processed coffees, because of the additional airflow they allow. The air ensures that the beans dry evenly and reduces the incidence of fungi and bacteria formation. On the other hand, some farmers are accustomed to using sun-exposed patio drying that require a regular raking of beans to avoid moulds. While total fermentation and drying time depend on such choices as well as ambient temperature and moisture levels, red honey processing easily needs two weeks from depulping until drying has completed.