Mil Cumbres - Panama - Natural - Geisha
Panama Geisha! Introducing a spectacular coffee from Mil Cumbres, which translates to 'a thousand hills'. The farm sits high up in Volcan, which is prime Geisha territory and home to some of the most prized coffee farms in Panama (Janson anyone?!). Oh, and the farm is run by the one and only Ratibor Hartmann. In short, this is high quality stuff and a good reminder as to why Panama Geisha is the 'Champagne' of the coffee world: floral with layered tropical fruit, berry fruits, tea notes and a round, juicy mouthfeel. We taste notes of blackberry, peach, and chamomile. Limited supply!
Info
Producer
The farm is owned by Mario Fonseca and Arturo Klein and coffee production is managed by Ratibor Hartmann.
Region
Volcan, Chiriqui, is a remote town known for it's agriculture, incredible natural habitat and is a popular eco-tourism destination.
Sustainability
All weeding and plant maintenance at Mil Cumbres is done by hand with machete to avoid the use of chemicals. Only organic fertilizers are used and the plan is to be completely regenerative in the next few years.
Elevation
Mil Cumbres sits at 1600-2000 masl on black, sulfurous volcanic soil. Of the 60 hectares of land, only 25 hectares are dedicated to coffee production while the remaining land is untouched native jungle that forms part of the Baru Volcano National Park. On a clear day, you can also see the Pacific Ocean from the farm.
Variety
The genetic variance of 'Geisha' is muddy as the variety spread throughout the coffee producing world. Traceable Panamanian Geisha, or 'Peterson Geisha, is a stable variant and the direct descendent of T2722.
Process
Fully-ripe cherries are floated and sorted before being laid to dry on raised beds. The cherries are constantly monitored and turned to ensure even and uniform drying.
Best of Panama
“2024 Best of Panama Auction Lot Sells for $10,013/kg”
Panama Geisha can loosely be compared to the sparkling wines of Champagne. Undoubtedly very high quality, singularly unique, in limited supply and in very high demand. But often, grossly inflated and overpriced. The top 50 lots auctioned off at the Best of Panama this year collectively sold for more than $1.38 million. The weighted average price per kilogram was $1,360.
Panamanian Geisha
“Panamanian Geisha, also known as Peterson Geisha, has a distinct genetic fingerprint as the direct ascension of T2722”
Geisha, or 'Gesha' was first discovered in the Gori Gesha forest, Ethiopia, and was sent to the Tengeru (now Lyamungu) Coffee Research Station in Tanzania. In 1953, plants successfully cultivated at Lyamungu as VC-496 were taken to Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) in Costa Rica and recorded as accession T2722. The Peterson family of Boquete, Panama, bought some of this seed stock from CATIE and in 2005 entered their coffee into the Best Of Panama, where it won the competition and sold for a then-record price of US$770/kg. This year, the Lamastus family's Elida Estate Geisha sold for $10,013/kg.
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