July 1997
With the media buzzing like summer bees over price gyrations on New York's Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange, it is useful to remember that your intrepid independent roaster does not trade in commodity coffees. Indeed, for the many reasons we have expounded before, so many non-quantifiable factors ride the long train of supply from tropical farm to your morning cup that green bean price gymnastics, however spellbinding, will never drive that train for us.
While the media focuses on price, the real news for coffee lovers today is that we are in the midst of a Golden Age of coffee cultivation. Millions of coffee producers are competing to earn recognition from the world's coffee connoisseurs with ever-more-painstakingly-prepared premium offerings. One hallmark of these efforts is the proliferation of Estate-grown coffees, where instead of commercially-dictated blending of coffees produced by region or country, a single producer takes responsibility by name for all of the steps in the production process. Every time a grower succeeds in earning distinction (and a price premium) for themselves in this way, the bar is raised a little higher for everyone else, and the rewards increase for everyone.
Which brings us to our Coffee of the Month from Northern
Panama's Boquete Valley. Situated on the tip of South America, connecting two great
coffee-producing countries, Colombia and Costa Rica, Panama is a natural for coffee
growing. However Panama has historically produced little coffee for export. In his classic
All About Coffee, William Ukers observes that Panama found a small market in
Scandinavia. Interestingly, he credited the fine quality to "the care given to its
cultivation by American and English planters in the Boquete district." Similar to
Costa Rica's, Panama's coffees are heavy bodied and strong flavored. In recent years you
are most likely to have encountered Panamanian coffee as a component of a specialty or
dark roast blend. Washed high-grown Arabicas, with a fine Euro-prep, they are an asset to
any roaster's blends.
I first tried La Berlina this spring as part of a New Crop Cupping sponsored by a Bay
area broker. In the company of several other standout Centrals, it more than held it's
own. Worth every premium penny, I booked a supply for our COM program. The coffee arrived
true to sample, almost unnaturally uniform, polished, fragrant, and steel
blue-green. I was won over again in the cupping, where it re-proved flavorful and
aromatic: clean tasting, bright, rich body with an earthy intensity. For our purposes, to
enjoy the delicate aromas and natural flavors of this single origin varietal, we roast it
with a very light hand. With such a delicate bouquet, for fullest appreciation I recommend
enjoying it straight, without cream. The arrival of La Berlina is a strong bid for recognition by Panama's premier coffee
producers. They have earned our appreciation as one of the world's great coffees, and
quite well suited we think for enjoyment on a Sacramento summer.
Future Outstanding Coffees of the Month:
Kenya "Karindundu Estate"; and Kona "Holualoa Estate"
P.S. (March 7, 1998):
Since penning the above, I have been contacted by Josue Ruiz, the owner of La Berlina Estate. He writes to tell us the following:
>I usually search on the internet to see if there is something about
Panama
>coffee.
>
>To my surprise, this time we found LA BERLINA ESTATE, a brand and a product
>we developed excactly one year ago (March 97).
>
>We are the most surprised ones of the results obtained with a coffee
>variety (Typica or "Criollo" as named in Panama) that was originally
>planted in Boquete since the 18th century.
>
>That is why the bags are marked as "BOQUETE GENUINO" then the Estate name
>"LA BERLINA". This gives room to any of our fellow-typica-growers to
>develope more estates of this variety.
>
>Please, let us know any other information we can provide that can be
>helpful to your efforts.
>
>Thank you and best regards.
>
>Please pick the picture and let me know the number and I will send you an
>explanation about it.
>
>All pictures are from LA BERLINA ESTATE.
>
>
>Best Regards
>
>Josue Ruiz
Sr. Ruiz also included the following photos of La Berlina Estate (click on any of them to see
a full-size version):
