07 Aug Coffee in Panama
By Natalie Warner
To those coffee enthusiasts, there can be little argument that coffee makes the world go round. Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration. That doesn’t mean people don’t take their coffee seriously. People can have staunch opinions about what makes coffee good. One thing is for sure: it is not a wise idea to come between a good cup of coffee and a coffee lover.
A Brief History
Coffee consumption is said to have began in Ethiopia circa 1,000 AD. Traders began transplanting and cultivating wild coffee trees to southern Arabia. Eastern Arabs soon followed Ethiopian Arabs’ practice of making a hot beverage using ground, roasted coffee beans.
Coffee was introduced to Europe. Popularity grew as cafes in the 1600s became popular. The American company, Maxwell House, is attributed to becoming the first company to successfully market instant coffee in 1950.
It is estimated that over 152.7 million bags weighing 60kg (132lbs) were produced in 2015/16. Brazil is the leading producer of coffee, producing over half of the world’s coffee. Panama accounts for less than one percent of the world market and ranks 32 as a world coffee exporter. Annual exports are said to be around 120,000 60kg bags.
The Coffee Tree
A coffee bean comes from a tree that is part of the evergreen family. It thrives in altitudes between 914-1829m (3,000-6,000ft) in fertile, well-drained volcanic soil. An unmaintained tree looks like a shrub with its many dispersed and unruly branches and can grow over 9m (30ft) in height. Most cultivators keep the tree height between 1.5 and 3.7m (5-12ft).
A typical tree takes between 3-4 years to start producing fruit. The 5th year is generally when the fruit is considered to be decent for coffee production. Beans are seeds that grow in clusters of 2. The fruit of a coffee plant is known as a cherry.
From Tree to Cup
Processing coffee is a labor-intensive practice. Here are some of the basic steps that are involved in turning a red coffee cherry into a delicious cup of coffee.
Planting
As previously discussed, coffee trees take up to 4 years to start producing fruit. Trees are not resilient to frost and grow best in tropical climates.
Harvesting the cherries
Harvesting in Panama typically happens November through March. Picking coffee cherries can either be done manually or, in flat areas like Brazil, mechanically. There are two types of picking. Strip picking is when all of the cherries, regardless of ripeness, are stripped at the same time. Selective picking is more labor intensive. Only the red, ripe cherries are picked. Pickers rotate trees every 8-10 days.
A good picker averages 45-90kg (100-200lbs) of cherries in a day. This amount will yield 9-18kg (20-40lbs) of coffee beans.
Processing the cherries
One of two methods can be used to process the cherries. The dry method involves raking and drying the fruit in the sun. They are then hulled either by hand or by machine. This process is the more labor intensive approach out of the two methods.
The second approach is the wet method. This is when the coffee cherries pass through a pulping machine that separates the skin and pulp from the bean. They then go through a water channel. The heavier, ripe beans sink while the lighter beans float to the top. They are then fermented for 12-48 hours, depending on the climate and altitude. Beans are then rinsed, dried, and hulled.
Dried beans at this stage are known as parchment coffee.
Milling the Beans
Bean husks are removed and the beans are polished at this stage. The beans are graded and sorted. They are reviewed for size, weight, color flaws, and other imperfections.
Shipping
The beans are now ready to be shipped at this stage. Coffee beans are typically shipped and stored in a jute or sisal bag.
Roasting
The most common roasting practice involves placing beans in a large cylinder and blowing hot air. Singeing is an older method where an electric, gas, or charcoal stove is used. The goal is to get the internal temperature of the bean to 204-230 degrees Celsius (400-450 degrees Fahrenheit), depending on the variety of bean. Roasted beans are cooled and re-sorted. Beans that are too light or too dark are discarded.
Grinding
The coarseness of the grind depends on the preferred brewing method. The finer the grind, the more quickly the coffee should be prepared. Espresso blends are ground finer than coffee that is used in a French press, for example.
Coffee in Panama
European influence popularized coffee in Panama during the 19th century. Crops were first brought during this time. Production was initially not successful. In fact, it would not be until 2004 that Panama would really be put on the map for coffee production.
Coffee in Panama grows in the highlands of Panama of Chiriquí. These areas include Boquete, Renacimiento, and Volcán. Varieties of coffee grown include Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon, Pache, and Mundo Novo. Geisha coffee is what Panama is best known for.
Geisha was brought over from Ethiopia during the 1960s. Coffee farmer entrepreneurs thought it was an ideal variety because it was resistant to two strains of rust that were affecting other coffee crops. However, it proved to be unsuccessful and produced undesirable coffee. Geisha coffee beans were mixed in with other coffee blends
Finca Esmerelda changed this. They began reproducing the variety, which quickly gained the attention within the specialty coffee world. In fact, Finca Esmerelda set a record in 2017 when a Korean company bought a one pound bag of coffee for $601. A typical cup off Giesha coffee can cost between $9-12.
Drinking coffee is a daily ritual for many people. It is a drink that has been around for over one thousand years. Getting from tree to roasted coffee bean is a labor intensive process, but one that many of us can appreciate.