Panama Boquete Volcancito Estate
Panama Boquete Volcancito Estate
Farm Description
Volcancito is a sub-region of the Boquete coffee growing area in Panama. Finca Volcancito is also a farm in this area, with coffee cultivated between 1600 to 1700 meters. And their Caturra cultivar coffees can be quite good. We had the advantage to evaluate a bunch of these lots both in samples sent from Panama and on the cupping table at the coffee mill owned by Jose David Garrido and his family. The arrangement is interesting, because they are able to control everything about the coffee, a true "Estate" because they run the wet mill, and have a dry mill located at a lower, hotter altitude that is perfect for patio-drying coffee. They separate all their harvest dates to form micro-lots, and it is quite remarkable how different each of these can be. In fact, a bag of a not-so-good Cattura ended up at the Roaster's Guild Retreat, and was a real challenge to roast. This is a lot we selected for it's balance, sweetness, and classic cup character.
This coffee is part of our Farm Gate pricing program.Cupping Notes
The dry fragrance is caramelly, toffee and praline-like, with a nice raisin-fruited chocolate scent and, in darker roasts, a fairly strong bittersweetness. The wet aromatic has the same raisiny fruit with more of a plum-prune suggestion, semi-sweet chocolate, and the hearty sweetness of muscavado unprocessed brown sugar. The cup flavors follow suit with the aroma; balanced chocolate bisquit flavor, plum and raisin fruited notes, and a very attractive, rather silky body. The acidity is moderate, or rather is well-paired with the cup flavors. There's a spicy accent flavor, especially as the cup cools a bit; clove and a bit of nutmeg. It's a mild cup, drinkable, classic Central flavor profile.
Score
Roast Recommendations
Full City to Full City+ - see the comments section below.Processing
Varietal
Grade & Appearance
Packaging
Comments
#1 Light roast issues
We have been cupping this here at lighter roast levels, and are definitely not as pleased at City to City+ as we are with FC-FC+. It holds up well and the acidity is pronounced in lighter roast levels, meaning there is no reason not to take it darker to develop the roast flavors we referred to in the review... If someone gets really good light roast results, we would like to know how you achieved it.