Panama

Pre-Release | Elida

Natural Geisha

This selection from the Lamastus family’s Elida Estate showcases clean and intense florals atop a rich base of stone fruit.

Elida is located high on the Volcan Baru national park, on the fertile slopes of the extinct volcano.

Producer
The Lamastus Family
Coffee expression
A floral & rich coffee

Regular price: $32.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $32.00
incl. vat/tax
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Panama

Elida Natural Geisha

This lot is from the ‘Plano’ lot of Elida, located at 1700 masl. This lot is rather flat compared to other parts of Elida, and is located near the processing station. This lot is a single day lot, picked on the 10th of March 2022, dried on raised beds for 30 days, and then rested in a climate controlled warehouse before being sent to us in Copenhagen. The long drying time results in a round and rich expression of the Elida Geisha, while using thin layers of cherries and turning often minimises fermentation flavours in the cup, and preserves the clean and intense florals. Here, the heady aromatics are backed up by notes of peach and rich tropical fruit in the cup, an excellent example of a clean natural Geisha.

Elida

The Lamastus Family Estates

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 Wilford have continued the focus on quality at Elida 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. The conditions at Elida are perfect for the production of the highest quality Geishas. At the top elevations on the farm, 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.

Technical Data

Producer
The Lamastus Family
Region
Boquete
Altitude
1700 masl
Varietal
Geisha
Process
Natural
Harvest
March 2022

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.