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Thumbnail Filmstrip of Panama Elida Vuelta Geisha Washed Images
About Panama Elida Vuelta Geisha Washed
Directly traded. Arrived in September by air, vacuum packaged, and kept in that state so that you could have it now for the holidays. Extremely limited supply so we are restricting sale to 1 or 2 pound packages only.
Vuelta is the highest elevation coffee on the esteemed Elida Estate, with Geisha planted at about 1950 meters. Originally it was thought that elevation to be too high for Geisha, but the reality has proved everyone wrong. The Lamastus family's property abuts the Baru National Park and volcano, very close to the Vuelta site. In advance of the Best of Panama competition, producers select their very best coffees to put into each of the three categories. Wilford Lamastus decided to enter a choice lot from the Vuelta plot in both the Geisha Natural and Geisha Washed categories. The results were nothing short of record-breaking. In the Natural category the BOP entry from Vuelta took 1st place with a score of 95.13 and fetched incredulous $10,013 per kilogram for the 20kg that were auctioned - $4,550 per pound! In the Geisha Washed category, Vuelta took 5th place with a score of 94.13 and sold for $1,808 per kg or $822 per pound. Both lots were finished and rested in Elida's newly constructed building where the coffees are Dark Room Dried (DRD) with a controlled humidity and temperature. Humidity is perfectly controlled and coffees can slowly dry and concentrate in this designed environment.
The lot that we have for sale is not one of the auction lots. It is, however, Geisha from the same plot of land and likewise rested in the DRD. We cupped numerous coffees at Elida when we visited there in June. Without knowing anything about it at the time, as is common with blind cupping, this one just jumped out and we bought it on the spot.
Wilford Lamastus speaking about the Vuelta lot and the new drying room (6/24)
Panama's Elida Estate Geisha is one of today's most sought after coffees. The farm has produced world class Geisha coffees and in recent years, an annual private auction attracts elite buyers from around the world who pay hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of dollars per pound for Elida's hallmark green coffee offerings. After two back to back years, 2018 and 2019 in which Elida Estate won 1st place in both Natural and Washed Geisha categories in the Best of Panama competitions, access to their coffee became more rarified. It was an unheard of accomplishment when one considers the quantity and quality of the competition. The prices those coffees achieved at auction broke world records at the time and Elida has continued to win competitions and break auction records ever since. We have had a terrific relationship with the family for many years.
Elida Estate has been run by the Lamastus family for four generations, starting in 1918 when
the founder of the farm, Robert Lamastus, bought property along the Baru
Volcano. There are three farms in the Lamastus family: Elida Estate (in Alto Quiel), El Burro
Estate, and Luito Geisha Estate. With elevations between 5500 and 8200 feet
above sea level, Elida is the highest coffee farm in Panama, although coffee is
only grown between 5600 and 6200 feet. A large part of the farm is a dedicated
ecological reserve area in Volcan Baru National Park, a world heritage site. On a side note, Panama is one of a handful of countries that is carbon negative. Because of its enormous amount of forested, Panama absorbs more climate-changing emissions than it produces. This environmental awareness is top of mind by its coffee producers.
Barry Levine (Willoughby's/Roastmasters) and Wilford Lamastus (Elida)
Elida has broken numerous world coffee price records. In 2018 Elida's Geisha Green Tip Washed sold for $661.00/lb at
auction, and their Geisha Green Tip Natural sold for (what was then) a whopping $803.00/lb. In the 2019 Best of Panama competition, Elida Estate won first place in
the two categories again, Natural and Washed Geisha, and again broke records when their
Natural Geisha sold for $1029.00/lb. at auction. Elida is always a top player. Most of this coffee is purchased by roasters in Asia; it is rare to see it at all in the USA. At retail in Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, China and elsewhere, it is not uncommon for Elida Geisha to sell for several hundred dollars or more, sometimes a lot more.
Just some of Elida Estate's many awards
This "Classic" Washed process using fully ripe cherries. Drying is done in the new Dark Room Dried (DRD) built specifically to exert extreme control over the variables usually involved - humidity and temperature. While this coffee is expensive to some it will be seen as a bargain to others but either way it is worth every penny.
- Farm: Elida Estate
- Plot of land: Vuelta
- Altitude: 1950 above sea level
- Producer: Wilford Lamastus Sr.
- Province: Chiriqui
- District: Boquete
- Micro region: Alto Quiel
- Township: Los Naranjos
- Coffee variety: Geisha
- Processing: Classic Washed
- Drying: Dried on tables in a Dark Room Dried (DRD), temperature and humidity controlled.
The new building for drying, the Dark Room Dried (DRD), a temperature and humidity controlled space.
Cup Characteristics: Big jasmine florals with lovely fruity candy, perfume and bergamot. This is gorgeous jasmine filled Geisha with layer after layer of floral notes and long, smooth, dry finish. Very elegant. Washed Geisha can be the purest form of expression for the varietal.
Roasting Notes: Our preferred roasting range for this coffee is midway between 1st and 2nd crack. The delicate qualities will be present throughout this range, with lighter variations highlighting piquancy and citrus notes, while Full City levels will enhance body. Keep in mind that natural processed coffees tend to roast a little quicker than washed, and plan your roast accordingly.
