Panamanian Coffee Beans

Coffee production in Panama was occurring in the Boquete Valley by the early 20th century,  although coffee was growing wild all over the Pacific coast region of Panama by this time, when production did not match domestic consumption. The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has grouped mild arabica as the variety of coffee that is grown in Panama. The best quality of coffee in Panama is grown in Boquete. 

Panama coffee ranges from medium quality lower altitude farms to those at 1600 – 1800 meters centered in the area of Boquete in the Chirqui district near the border with Costa Rica. Some farms feature coffees from higher altitudes are brightly toned, with clean fruited. In some coffee taster’s lexicon, “fruity” means the coffee is tainted with fruit, and “fruited” means a coffee is graced by positive fruit notes.

Lesser Panama coffees are quite different, and had been a staple of higher-end commercial roasters and lower-end specialty roasters. Indeed there are still many lower-grown Panamas but in all parts of the country, an influx of land investment has lessened the acreage planted in coffee.

Generally the better coffees come from the Boquete and Volcan, Coffees from the Chirqui district, ones from small family-owned farms that produce the unique coffees. Rumors state that farmers employ N’gobe Indians for the picking season, who will come to the coffee farms to work under some of the better wage standards and labor laws in Central America.

Panama Coffee in Recent Years

As investment money came in and the expat/retiree population boomed, it affected the coffee sector in several ways. Farms were sold to foreign investors from Colombia. Colombian coffee is highly marketed and widely available in the US. They have been largely successful at equating the name Colombian Coffee with “Good” Coffee. This is half-true.

Land values skyrocketed as retirees from the US sought the lower cost of living, warmer climate and the beauty of the Chirqui area. Conveniences abounded: big box stores nearby in the town of David, the prospect of having a fancy home with a maid and a gardener, and fixed incomes covering medical care to a greater extent, with top doctors in Panama City. Read More.