Panama, Longboard Coffee lot 30

This gem of a coffee is juicy and bright. It makes me see all kinds of green. Reminds me of bergamot, honey and lime. 

From Cole at Forward Coffee:

Longboard Coffee is an award-winning micro-producer of luxury specialty coffee with three small plantations in Boquete, Panama. Their focus is on providing the best-handcrafted specialty coffee for the discerning palates of coffee enthusiasts around the world. Placing regularly every year in top places in Best of Panama auctions Longboard is regarded as one of the most exciting producers in Boquete region.

From the Longboard Family:

On Longboard, nature rules. Since our end goal is cup quality, our focus is not on production yields. We produce quality, not quantity. Everything is crafted with fanatical attention to detail. Cherries are harvested at their peak of maturity, averaging over thirty meticulous harvests per plantation each season. Often our pickers work a full 8 hours to select 1 perfect cherry can.

Our plantations are managed free of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides or herbicides, and in harmony with the natural cycles of the earth, the moon and the sun. The owner personally prunes the plantations several times a year, removing branches and shoots that appear to be poor or disturbing neighboring plants. We embrace the harmony between the best traditional methods and the infinite potential of innovation. The result: a superior expression of the unique characteristics of the varietals planted in the diverse microclimates and the rich unadulterated terroir of our plantations.

Embracing the principles of permaculture and biodynamics, we view our farms as integrated, whole, living organisms. This organism consists of crops, soil, forest, water, animals, compost, and people as well as the spirit of the place. We view each farm as a canvas from God, and it is our job to paint the masterpiece. Each farm has its own unique personality.

Misty Mountain

Misty Mountain is true forest Geisha. It is young and wild, playful yet majestic. It is a mysterious and silent place on the edge of virgin forest, rough hewn from the wilderness. Its unique microclimate is sunny and breezy half the year and enshrouded in mist the other half. Isolated from other farms and accessed by four wheel drive via a kilometer long private drive that rises abruptly through lush cloud forest, just getting there is an adventure.

With the same passion as the founders of Boquete generations ago, we built this farm from scratch, carefully clearing by hand leaving all large trees, finding the ideal mix of sun and shade and monkey bridges, planting a mix of green and bronze tip Geisha into the virgin soil. It is truly remarkable how content the Geisha is to be there - not necessarily the case with some of the other varietals. Occupying an elevation between 1550 and 1800 meters in the La India region of Boquete, a primarily south facing orientation allows for morning sun to filter through the forest while offering protection from the pummeling north wind of the dry season.

Our Geisha has found a happy home at Misty Mountain. Carving this farm from the jungle has been a long and challenging process, and our efforts were rewarded the very first harvest with a 6th Place finish in the Geisha Natural category at the 2018 Best of Panama with an overall score of 92.25 pts. The coffee went on to fetch $101/lb at the auction.

Windy Ridge

If Misty Mountain is young and wild, Windy Ridge is mature and refined, wise yet exotic. The plantation has rooted deeply and is allowed to reach its desired height- often over 5 meters- and the perfectly ripe cherries are delicately harvested by ladder in the traditional style. At 1600 meters facing the Baru Volcano in the center of the prized Alto Jaramillo region, the exposed westerly orientation is bathed in afternoon sun, injecting an uncommon sweetness into the cherry.

The result is a cup loaded with tropical fruits, bursting with berries, stone fruits and nose-full of florals; enriched by a depth and complexity that only comes with age. Year after year our Windy Ridge Geishas place among the top coffees in the Best of Panama, consistently receiving among the highest prices at the BOP Auction. With roots set deep into layers of mineral rich volcanic soil, Windy Ridge is a plantation in its prime.

Fennario

Taking advantage of the drier microclimate of the Palmira region, Fennario is where all our coffees are taken directly after harvest for processing and drying. At an elevation of 1150 meters and providing an excellent cup relative to its elevation, Fennario has been producing organic Caturra and Catuai as well as an excess of banana, plantain and citrus since we acquired the farm in 2003. It is also home to the Longboard Lab.