Panama — Lamastus Family El Burro Estate Gesha (Washed DRD) Lot 16

Tastes Like — 🍑 Yellow Peach • 🍇 Red Table Grape • 🌼 Chrysanthemum

DETAILS

• Producer: Lamastus Family
• Farm: El Burro Estate
• Region: Chiriqui, Panama
• Varietal: Gesha
• Process: Washed, Dark Room Dried (DRD)
• Altitude: 1,550–1,800 MASL
• Size: 114g

INTRO

El Burro Lot 16 is a washed Gesha finished in Hydrangea's Dark Room Dried process — a controlled drying method that brings extraordinary clarity to what is already one of Panama's most distinguished estates. The result is a cup of uncommon delicacy and precision, balancing stone fruit sweetness with a luminous floral note that lingers long after the last sip.

THE PRODUCER

El Burro Estate belongs to the Lamastus Family, whose commitment to Panamanian specialty coffee spans generations. The farm sits at the southern edge of Panama, partially within the Barú Volcano National Park, where the land rises from 1,550 to 1,800 MASL. Rich young volcanic soils, dense native rainforest canopy, and markedly cool nights — night temperatures as low as 13°C at the Elida mill where El Burro cherries are also processed — conspire to slow cherry ripening by as much as a month compared to lower-elevation farms, building extraordinary density and sweetness in each bean.

The Lamastus Family have been consistent contenders at the Best of Panama auction across washed and natural categories. El Burro is prized for its unique microclimate: heavy wet-season precipitation (averaging 3,200mm annually) gives way to a pronounced dry season, concentrating sugars in a way that few farms in the country can replicate.

THE PROCESS

The Washed Dark Room Dried process at El Burro Estate involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — Cherries picked at peak burgundy ripeness by hand
• 🔧 Pulping — Skin removed immediately after harvest to prevent over-fermentation
• 🧪 Fermentation — Controlled at the Elida mill at 13–20°C for 24–36 hours
• 💧 Washing — Seeds washed once full fermentation is reached
• 🌡️ Dark Room Drying (DRD) — Seeds dried on raised beds or within a temperature-controlled dark room for 15–20 days, preserving delicate aromatics
• ✅ Quality Selection — Lot 16 selected for its exceptional cup clarity and balance

The DRD method shields drying beans from direct light and temperature swings, producing a uniquely clean and aromatic cup that highlights Gesha's floral potential without the fruit-forward intensity of a natural process.

THE CUP

Lot 16 opens with a luminous yellow peach sweetness, softening into a ripe red table grape depth that gives the cup a beautifully vinous quality. Chrysanthemum florality weaves through from first sip to a long, elegant finish — a textbook expression of washed Panamanian Gesha at altitude.

Flavour Notes

• 🍑 Yellow Peach
• 🍇 Red Table Grape
• 🌼 Chrysanthemum