Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Altieri Catuai Natural 'Rola' ASD Images

About Panama Altieri Catuai Natural 'Rola' ASD

This season we directly imported an ASD (Anaerobic Slow Dry) version of a coffee that quickly blew out of here last season. It arrived, vacuum packed, in late July. For fans of fruity, clean Natural processed coffee, you will really enjoy this one and the price is fair for coffee of this quality. This is a Direct Trade coffee. It is more expensive this season as demand has increased for their coffee plus some tariff expense. Quantity of this coffee is very limited. We bought all that was available but it's not very much.

We have had a number of coffees over the past few years from Alieri and there coffee has made major leaps forward in quality, really impressing us in the most recent couple of years. We assume this observation is shared by our clientele, as the coffee sells quickly. About a month ago we sold one of their high end Geisha lots and we have another very special one waiting in the wings. In the meanwhile, this Natural Catuai ASD coffee is delicious and impressive in its own right. The farm is owned by Gene Altieri, a native New Yorker who has lived and worked in Panama for the past 40+ years. It is now run by family members and While Gene had his hands in a number of successful businesses, he struck success with his two coffee farms, earning him top placement in competitions including the Best of Panama 2024. Altieri is now one of the top coffee producers in the Panama Highlands. Gene has a big family with lots of grandchildren and each individual plot of land on the Altieri Coffee Farm is now nicknamed for his family. This coffee comes from the plot called "Rola" named after his eldest grandchild, Roland.

Altieri has two farms in the Boquete region, one at a slightly lower altitude of 1350 meters above sea level and a higher elevation farm at 2000 meters. The varietals produced are criollo, caturra, catuai, catimor and geisha - this lot is a catuai. Upon first acquiring the farms Gene followed more ordinary farm practices, but after learning more about coffee production as the years passed, he along with coffee manager Roger Pitti, began focusing on improving everything.

Lot Specific Data from Altieri

'ROLA is a plot located on a hill at 1750 meters above sea level in Mima Estate. Like every plot on the farm, it grows alongside the forest park, is the only one plot in Mima Estate with all day sun exposition, that condition impact in high yields of this varietal. The picking was done on February 2nd, 2025 by hand by our skilled indigenous labor making sure the cherries are completely mature. The collected coffee is taken to our mill where it is placed in sealed plastic tanks to undergo anaerobic fermentation. We don’t add water or any synthetic yeast. Later the coffee is slowly dried in our African beds for 21 days. After achieving 11% humidity, the coffee beans are placed in our controlled temperature and humidity warehouse. The coffee then enters our resting warehouse with controlled temperature and humidity'.

Altieri Production Manager Roger Pitti

As the coffee quality increased, so did the living conditions of the coffee farmers and various workers who are native to the region. While conditions are generally very minimal for these workers, Gene and his team have initiated a pilot program that has produced drastic improvements in quality of life. Each family now has their own individual apartments with living, kitchen, and bathroom areas - something that is very rare for this type of work. Furthermore, each family must sign an agreement with the team which prohibits any substance and family abuse. The community is self governed by their own board of directors and is held accountable for ensuring that living areas are kept clean and organized. Children attend public school and also receive private tutoring when necessary. Once per month the community has a visit from physicians who donate their time for check ups.

It's obvious that Altieri has a deep rooted passion not only for the quality of coffee being produced, but also for the dedicated farmers who make that success possible. It's an honor to be able to acquire this coffee knowing that the effort and hard work that is put into growing it extends to the lives of the ones who deserve it the most. Kudos go to the Altieri family and the farm workers who contributed to this fine coffee.

We have been tasting Altieri's coffees for years and it is quite apparent how much the quality has improved over time. The coffee being produced has really come up to the top level as evidenced by their recent 3rd place win (2024) and this terrific coffee. The investment that Altieri has made in farm management, equipment, and a study of cutting edge processing practices are really paying off in the cup. Kudos go to farm manager Roger Pitti! Roger has made a huge contribution to the coffee now being produced and processed. With a background in engineering, details and nuance of every coffee and process is meticulously recorded and studied for determining the best way forward.

Producer Gene Altieri

It's obvious that Gene and his team have a deep rooted passion not only for the quality of coffee being produced, but also for the dedicated farmers who make that success possible. It's an honor to be able to acquire this coffee knowing that the effort and hardwork that is put into growing it extends to the lives of the ones who deserve it the most.

Cup Characteristics: Deep fruity flavors of black skinned fruit like nectarine and plum. Sweet pipe tobacco, peach and lime add to the flavor profile. Very chewy, juicy and long mouth-coating finish. A really clean, well processed coffee and one of the best non-Geisha Naturals of the season. Anaerobic fermentation plus extended drying time accounts for fruit flavors that are intensified. .

Roasting Notes: Naturals roast a little faster than washed coffee and also shed more chaff, so be aware of this when doing your roast. Ramp this coffee up gently and give it about 90 seconds of development time after first crack. This is a terrific, bold and fruity coffee. Roasting it too dark will hide some of that great fruit.