Panama Finca Esther. Darkroom ASD. Lot43 SL34

Origin: Panama

Region: Volacancito Arriba, Boquete

Farm/Producer: Finca Esther / Martin Santos Chavez

Altitude: 1450-1550m

Varietal: SL34

Process: Darkroom ASD Natural

Harvest: 2024/25

Direct Trade with MásCafé Panama

Cupping Score: 87.50

FOB(£)/Vol: £22.00/ 24kg

Roasted for Espresso & Filter

We taste:

The Story

Finca Esther & Minerva is part of MásCafé Panama coffee farms in Boquete, Panama, located in the Chiriqui Province district of Boquete at 1550 Mts. The farm is led by Martin Santos Chavez and Esther Leung, who are at the forefront of innovation in processes such as yeasts, carbonic macerations, fermentations and slow drying.

Nested on the slopes of the Baru volcano, the conditions and diversity of the ecosystem create a unique terroir for growing coffee. Martin starts by harvesting only the ripe coffee cherries, he then puts them through a flotation process to discard all the empty beans and unripe cherries. In coffee processing, the "darkroom process" refers to a controlled environment for drying coffee beans, often used to achieve specific flavour profiles and quality. This technique involves carefully regulating temperature and humidity within a sealed space, mimicking a darkroom environment for photographic film development. By manipulating these conditions, producers can influence the coffee's sweetness, acidity, and overall cup characteristics.

I began speaking with Martin across Instagram in 2021, exchanging samples and was blown away by the flavour of his coffee. Now in 2024, I’m really excited to continue to work with Martin and Esther for the 2nd year purchasing 8x more than 2023. Perhaps the most unique part of our partnership is that it’s truly direct-trade. Something that we don’t see from many other roasters, who use importers to mitigate the risk financially and organise logistics. This is part of 7 different lots from Mascafe Panama and is definitely our biggest release of the coffee calendar year.