About
Coffee Expression This washed Geisha lot displays the delicate and perfumed florals we expect from the iconic varietal, balanced, poised and clean.
Producer The Carmen Estate was founded in 1960, named for its first owner, Carmen Francheschi, who purchased the land together with her husband Efrain.
100g (3.53oz) - Whole Bean Coffee / Both for filter and espresso
Brewing Advice
Water is one of the most critical components of an excellent coffee experience. We recommend using mineral water of a soft Total Dissolved Solids count, ideally below 150 ppm.
Rested coffee During the resting process, harsh and astringent flavors, which can even be perceived as a ‘roast’ character, soften out, allowing a clearer and brighter expression of the coffee’s character to shine.
We recommend resting our coffees for at least 10 days after the roast date, and we often find excellent results, especially for particularly dense coffees, beyond 6 weeks.
Brewing Our straightforward approach to coffee carries over into brewing. We recommend our roasted coffee for all brew methods, regardless of whether it is immersion, percolation or espresso. We believe that there is one correct way to roast a single coffee, roasting lightly, in such a way as to release its innate qualities and showcase its quality. Learn more about different brewing techniques and specific brew guides here.
Technical Data
Producer The Francheschi Family
Region Volcán
Altitude 2200 masl
Varietal Geisha
Process Washed
Harvest March 2024
Shipping & Delivery
· Free shipping on US orders above $79 and on orders above $99 to Mexico and Canada
· Ships within 1-3 days from Brooklyn, New York
· Coffee is roasted to order
Carmen Francheschi
The Carmen Estate was founded in 1960. The estate was named for its first owner, Carmen Francheschi, who purchased the land together with her husband Efrain. Carmen lies on the western slopes of the Baru Volcano, near the town of Volcán, a long drive from the more famous centre of Boquete on the eastern side. The land was passed down through the family until it landed with Carlos Aguilera Francheschi, Carmen and Efrain’s grandson. Carlos steered the Estate through Panama’s great boom following the discovery of Geisha on the other side of the volcano, by the Peterson family at Hacienda La Esmeralda.
Carlos was already growing excellent coffee, but began planting more Geisha, and aiming for the premium coffee market. Over the intervening 20 years, the Francheschi family continued their investment in quality, holding onto talented members of staff and improving infrastructure on the farm. This resulted in consistent placings in the Best of Panama competition, including a win in 2023 with a lot of washed Geisha which broke the world record for a price paid at auction, breaking the $10,000/kg mark.
Excellent raw material
Nowadays, the farm is run by manager Jean Paul Langenstein, who originally started with the company as a roaster, before gaining a great deal of experience in coffee production and management. We visited in April 2024 and spent the day with JP, walking the farm and understanding what makes Carmen so special. This is an excellent blend of modern and traditional farming know-how.
The conditions here are truly something special, requiring minimal inputs in order to produce excellent quality. The rich black volcanic soil and superb drainage on the steep slopes are excellent for coffee, while this side of the volcano is more influenced by the cooling winds from the Pacific, compared to the warmer Caribbean influence in Boquete. The cool nights are coupled with dry sunny days, leading to optimal growing conditions, with slowly maturing trees thriving at high altitude under abundant native shade. This allows Carmen to use agricultural practices that maintain ecological awareness.
Today, Carmen are able to manage insects without using any pesticides, and conserve soil health in such a way that they can produce excellent quality each year without using chemical fertilisers or herbicides. The Geisha trees in Panama, and especially here, are some of the most lush and green we have ever seen on our travels in coffee.
A traditional approach
Processing is mainly washed, maintaining the clean, complex and floral profiles we associate with Panama. Here, the most modern equipment allows for precise control over de-pulping, fermentation and drying in order to produce consistently excellent cups. This approach is an excellent balance, where considered processing simply allows inherent character to shine, rather than adding new character. The inherent character of this lot is something rather special.
This lot was picked in March 2024, from one of Carmen’s highest plots of Geisha, the same plot where the record breaking BoP lot of last year was picked. In the cup, this carefully produced washed lot is a very fine example of Geisha, with complex perfumed aromas of jasmine and white tea followed by fresh and juicy lemon in the cup.
