Panama Geisha Hacienda Bajo Mono – Roasted Coffee

Taste & Crema

Panama Geisha Hacienda Bajo Mono has a rich, pure, and balanced taste. The floral notes are in the majority, dominated by jasmine, roses and lavender. You can also notice fruity flavors of apricots, peaches, oranges and lemons as well as tropical fruit such as mango or passion fruit. Finaly, the tones of honey, cane sugar and white chocolate add a pleasant, mild sweetness. The acidity is refreshing and full of citrus fruit, beautifully implemented in the taste and reminiscent of white wine or champagne. The body is light to medium with a smooth, velvety texture and it leaves a long, pure aftertaste with traces of cocoa and almonds. The overall taste is pure, complex and further enhanced through precise processing. This coffee is perfect for lovers of drip coffee who enjoy vibrant flavors and elegant acidity.

Origins

When you say Panama, most people will likely think of the famous Panama Canal – a technological marvel that connects the Atlantic to the Pacific. But lovers of fine coffee know that this small Central American country hides another treasure – coffee wins world competition after world competition. One of those coffees that has captured the attention of global: Geisha from the Café Don Benjie farm. And no wonder. This exceptional coffee grows in the province of Chiriquí, in an area called Bajo Mono, in a narrow canyon where the mountainous landscape drops down from the slopes of the Barú volcano to the banks of the Caldera River. It is here, between 1,400-1,550m, that something special is born.
The Café Don Benjie plantation covers 33 hectares. The volcanic soil, the constant humidity (provided by afternoon mists called Bajareque), the crystal-clear springs, the shade from citrus and tropical trees – all this creates a unique microclimate in which the coffee ripens slowly and in a balanced way. The result is a complex flavor profile you won’t find anywhere else.

Geisha coffee in itself has a very interesting history. This variety originated in Ethiopia, specifically in the area around the village of Gesha, which inspired the name. In the middle of the 20th century, thanks to research projects, it spread through Tanzania and Costa Rica to Panama, where it did not receive much attention at first. Everything changed in 2004 when a Panamanian farm entered Geisha in the Best of Panama competition. The judges were literally amazed by its floral, complex notes and delicacy. Since then, Geisha has earned a firm place among the most prestigious varieties in the world and is sought after not only for its prestige, but also for the extraordinary experience it can offer even the average filter coffee lover.
Don Benjie processes the coffee using the wet method to bring out the purity and subtlety of the flavors. After hand-picking, the cherries are thrown into water from local springs, then are gently stripped of their pulp without the use of water and fermented in a controlled environment. This approach allows the coffee's most desirable properties to shine, preserving its smoothness and lively acidity.

The story of coffee in Panama began in the 18th century, when Spanish colonists and missionaries brought the first coffee plants. Slowly but surely, the coffee culture took root, and only in the last few decades has the country begun to focus on the production of premium coffee varieties. Today, it is the smaller farms in the highlands, such as Don Benjie, that are helping to build the prestige of Panamanian coffee around the world. The De Dianous family joined this story in 1914 when Gabriel de Dianous bought his first coffee farm in the Boquete area. In the 1980s, Hacienda Bajo Mono was taken over by Dr. Renan Esquivel, who created a botanical paradise, and the current owners, José Benjamin de Dianous and Stefan Arwed Müller, continue this legacy with the same passion for quality, nature and human craftsmanship.

Coffee packaging preview

Our quality aluminum packaging lacks any bold graphics, as we’d rather focus on the taste of our coffee. It always comes fresh thanks to degassing valve, which releases the gases that occur after roasting. Thanks to the hermetic seal, this container helps the contents further keep their freshness and protect them against humidity, light or foreign odors.