Plum Runner

Caturra is a good variety known for balance and sweetness. Carmen’s caturra delivers in every way and more. The coffee is very sweet, juicy but with great balance. It’s my favourite caturra of the season.

I have a long history with Carmen Estate. I started buying Carmen’s caturra in 2010 and became great friends with Carmen’s founder, Carlos Aguilera. The farm is named after his mother, Carmen. It’s situated in one of the most scenic and fertile coffee regions in the world: Paso Ancho. Paso Ancho is considered to be the area where the Baru volcano deposited the most volcanic material during its last eruption. The result is one of the most fertile and giving soils in Panama and the coffee at Carmen is forever grateful. The conditions of amazing soil, high elevations and native forest give Carmen the magical combination for incredible quality.

This Caturra was planted in 2015 in the highest part of the Carmen farm located at 1900m of elevation, surrounded by a lush forest.  At this elevation, the coffee trees take their time growing, but Carlos and his team gave the trees a lot of love and helped them overcome the elements. The result is a beautiful coffee with a great balance of low notes and fruity juicyness.

The coffee was carefully processed under Jean Paul’s careful watch. The cherries were picked then oxidized in stainless steel tanks for 24 hours. Afterwards, they were depulped, and fermented for 24 hours then the coffee was meticulously washed and dried on raised beds for 12 days. The result is a super complex coffee full of tropical fruits but still showcasing the virtues of the Geisha variety. This was my favorite coffee in Panama this year!