Finca Hartmann Anaerobic Natural Geisha · Hartmann family, Ojo de Agua, Panama (2023)

Finca Hartmann is an institution within the Panama coffee community. It’s a story of hard work, determination and unwavering commitment to quality. The Hartmann family is now very successful, and they deserve all their recent accolades. It’s the culmination of decades of work by the third generation siblings. I have much more to say about Finca Hartmann and the family, but let’s get back to the coffee for a moment.

This coffee is a genuine T2722 geisha. There are a lot of “geisha’s” out there, but many (maybe even most) are mutations or crosses or Ethiopian heirlooms - the only way to know is to have the plant material genetically tested, which the Hartmanns have done. Although it’s practically impossible for a farm to claim 100% pure varietal (mutations, cross pollination), this lot is as close as it comes. It’s from the upper part of Finca Hartmann, called Ojo de Agua, and it’s from one of the standout microlots called “Una Hectarea” - I know, how creative!

The coffee was processed in two stages. The first was a three day anaerobic process; where the coffee was in sealed bags in cherry form. Then it was moved to the Hartmann famous “Dark Room” - a new drying process that dehydrates the cherry using low humidity air and airflow instead of drying it using heat and sunlight. This is the best way to do naturals - they are clean, yet super fruity and a little funky, but always remain true to the variety.

Now, back to the Hartmann's. The third gen consists, in chronological order, Ratibor, Allan, Alex, Aliss and Kelly. The five of them carry out different functions within the farms. Ratibor is in charge of cupping and QC. Allan is responsible for the processing and the dry mill. Alex is the one in charge of the plantation. Aliss deals with administration and logistics and Kelly does a lot of work in all the areas, helping where he is needed. Within this collaboration lies their secret sauce. They each rely on each other’s strengths to get the work done and they challenge each other. The leader, Ratibor, is the one who is constantly, and I mean constantly, looking for ways to improve. He wants to improve their farm (coffee varieties, biodiversity and coffee tree health). He is always experimenting on processing (cold fermentations, re-hydrations, anaerobic) and has pushed Allan to completely overhaul the way that Finca Hartmann processes coffee. He is also the godfather of the dark room drying. I could go on.

I visit them every year and I cup a lot of coffees with them. I have been doing this since 2011 and their quality has reached a new level in the past few years - all the curiosity and innovation have paid off and have resulted in them reaching top placements in the world’s most difficult coffee competition - the Best of Panama.