Thursday, August 03, 2006

Panama Carmen Estate

I was able to secure a small lot of this multi-award winning coffee.
It has been a top 3 Best of Panama for the past several years.
Bright peach and apple with a smooth mouthfeel. It's one of my favorite coffees.

From the Carmen Estate website,
"First Place (90.75 pts) Rainforest Alliance “Cupping for Quality” Competition Long Beach, CA, April 2005 -Second Place (88.00 pts) Rainforest Alliance “Cupping for Quality” Competition Long Beach, CA , April 2006 -Third Place (89.7 pts) Best of Panama “Cupping for Quality” Competition Volcán, April 2006 -Third Place (92.54 pts) Best of Panama “Cupping for Quality” Competition Boquete, April 2005 -Third Place (88.05 pts) Best of Panama “Cupping for Quality” Competition Boquete, April 2003 CARMEN ESTATE is a family owned business. We are sustainable coffee growers and very high quality, green coffee exporters. In 1950 Efrain and Carmen Franceschi began cultivating arabica coffee varieties on their estates. Today our single estate and mill -beneficio- produces just 1,200 bags (60 kg each) of unique quality green coffee beans. It is located in Volcan Valley at an altitude of 1750 meters (5,600 ft); latitude 8° 49’ 25’’ N; longitude 82° 37’ 55’’ W.The valley is considered the most important area in mountain and shade grown coffee plantations of The Baru Volcano region in Panama, Central America. This micro-region is heavily influenced by its proximity to both the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. The cool, frost free nights typical of the area are coupled with dry, sun drenched days which together create optimal growing conditions. The valley follows the course of the Chiriqui Viejo river as it flows down from the blue mountains of Cerro Punta to the Pacific Ocean. The rich volcanic black soil and superb drainage are ideal for the cultivation of our Arabica varieties Catuai, Caturra and Typica. Our coffee quality consistency has been awarded several times locally and abroad:"

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