Archers Gesha Cupping 05/18 2:30
This is a Cupping of 12 different high end Panama lots roasted by Archers. This will be held at Slow Day at 2103 3rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98121 after hours. Rsvping is mandatory!
1. Altieri Coffee - ALE 241223 Washed Gesha - Boquete
Altieri Coffee is a 15-year-old, first-generation estate owned & operated by Panama resident & New York native, Eugene Altieri & his family. At the 2024 Best of Panama, they took 3rd Place for Geisha Natural. This continued the succession of their top-ranking finishes. In 2023 they placed in the Top 5 for both Geisha Categories — 5th for Natural & 2nd for Washed — as well as 9th Place for Varietals, & in 2022, Geisha Washed qualified in 16th place as anAuction Lot alongside a Catuai in Varietals 14th Place
Tasting Notes: jasmine, green apple, apricot, pear, white grapes
2. Mil Cumbres - Lot OMO 0702 Geisha Washed - Volcan
Mil Cumbres is a first-generation coffee farm in Cloud Valley, Cordillera, Volcan founded by Mario Fonseca, whose Geisha & Pacamara have ranked among the top auction lots at the Best of Panama. In 2024, Mario’s Flair Geisha broke into the Auction Lots for the first time, ranking 17th in the Geisha Washed Category, along with the achievement of 2nd Place in Varietals with a Pacamara coveted level-up from placing 6th in 2023. A lawyer by trade, Mario was inspired by his uncle Payin, whom he regards as the true coffee enthusiast & credits for imparting the passion to keep discovering Panama’s distinctive & diverse coffees to him since his youth.
Tasting Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, tangerine, white peach, honey suckle
3.Bambito Estate - Sakura Washed Gesha - Chiriqui
Bambito Estate Coffee occupies a place of prestige among Panama’s most esteemed coffee producing families, with accolades like 1st Place in the 2021 Best of Panama Geisha Washed category, the highest in a consistent track record in this category, including 5th Place in 2019, 3rd in 2020, 9th in 2022, and 13th in 2023, alongside top rankings in Geisha Natural and Varietals through the years. Leading this legacy of excellence is Priscilla Amar Sitton, the face and the heart of the long-running family coffee heritage that began with her grandfather Alberto’s passion to honor his father by stewarding the land he acquired in the Bambito Mountains as their homestead in the early 1900s.
Tasting Notes: lavender,orange blossom, mandarine, white grapes, earl grey
4. Finca Hartmann - Geisha Washed Lot 68 - Chiriqui
Finca Hartmann is among the legendary specialty coffee pioneers recognized in the Best of Panama, whose farms Guarumo, Ojo de Agua, & Santa Clara have produced top-ranking Geisha & Varietals through the years. In 2023, Guarumo Black Jaguar won 1st Place at the Best of Panama Geisha Natural Category, while another Geisha Natural under the Finca Hartmann banner placed 5th. Their coffee legacy began in 1912 when the patriarch Alois Hartmann acquired 100 hectares of pristine, rainforest highlands that laid the foundation for what is now a globally acclaimed family heritage of coffee excellence alongside environmental conservation. Alois’ son, Ratibor Sr., inherited the land in the 1960s & transformed it into Finca Hartmann, which has increasingly flourished in its third generation, with the dedication of his children. Led by Ratibor Jr., Allan, Alexander, Aliss, & Kelly uphold their father’s commitment to producing exceptional coffees while preserving ecological balance.
Tasting Notes: Jasmine, lemongrass, Yuzu, Mandarine, Earl grey
5. Black Moon - Natural Gesha - Boquete
Black Moon Farm is the SCA Panama President Hunter Tedman’s regenerative agriculture project focused foremost on restoring soil health by increasing biodiversity, which has led to cultivating excellent quality coffees. Exotic varieties whose harvests have received widespread acclaim are the panama Geisha — direct descendants of the original stock acquired from Costa Rica in the 1960s — and the Chiroso, an Ethiopian landrace drawing increased attention, initially in Colombia. In the 2024 Best of Panama, Black Moon Chiroso garnered the top award at 1st Place after placing 2nd in the 2023 competition, while a Black Moon Panama Geisha made 10th among the Washed Category auction lots in 2024 as well.
Tasting Notes: lanzones, mandarine, white flower, fresh strawberry, white peach
6. Black Moon - Anaerobic Natural Chiroso - Boquete
This isn't a gesha! What gives? Wanted something a bit different for the cupping! Very different coffee, but a unique one that I was interested in trying. Will add some variety to this set as well.
Tasting Notes: cherry, red grapes, tamarind, caramelized dates, chocolate
7. Carmen Estate - Washed Gesha Lot 8 - Chiriqui
Established in the Paso Ancho district by Efrain and Carmen Francheschi in the 1960s, Carmen Estate boasts a decorated history in the annual Best of Panama, frequently with multiple coffees counting among the top auction lots across the different categories — Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietals. 2023 granted Carmen Estate its greatest accolade to date, 1st Place in the Geisha Washed Category, alongside top ranks in Geisha Natural at 9th and 10th, and Varietals at 10th, crowning years of a continuing winning streak.
Tasting Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, white peach, nectarine, honey
8. HIU Coffee - Los Lajones Bambu Washed Green Tip Gesha lot 26C - Boquete
Graciano Cruz, founder of HIU Coffee Farms, is among the pioneering, legendary Best of Panama producers whose Geisha & Varietals are regularly recognized among the Auction Lots. A seasoned coffee polymath, he has cultivated his expertise over decades of transformative work at his high altitude & inherently organic estates, Los Lajones & Emporio in Boquete, Chiriqui, coupled with extensive travels to & thoughtful immersion in various coffee-producing communities in different origin countries, as well as continuous dynamic knowledge-sharing with his peers in Panama’s premium coffee-growing circle.
Tasting Notes: jasmine, grapefruit, peach, nectarine, earl grey
9. Jamison Savage - Finca Deborah Chrysalis (Archers Exclusive) Natural CM (Washed Finish) Green Tip Gesha - Chiriqui
From what I've heard, this is like iridescence with a bit extra sweetness.
Tasting Notes: mandarine, lemongrass, white flowers, peach, earl grey
10.
Chevas Coffee Estate - Lot 69 Dark Room Drying Washed Gesha - Boquete, Panama
Founded in 2016 by then 18-year-old José Luis Chevas, the eponymous Chevas Coffee Estate debuted within the Top 10 auction lots at the 2024 Best of Panama, placing 9th in the Geisha Natural category. Attuned to the esteemed stature of the finest coffees in the cosmopolitan cultural landscape, José Luis honors the agricultural roots established by his grandfather in the 1970s by steering their half-century-old estate — originally dedicated to large-scale production of food crops and later on coffee — toward a greater focus on quality, charting a path toward increased relevance and sustainable prosperity
Tasting notes: White florals, floral honey, mandarine, peach
11. Janson Coffee - Los Alpes lot 407 Washed Green Tip Gesha - Volcan, Panama
Three generations of Jansons run the operations of Janson Coffee today. Kai and Jannette Janson, both from the second generation, and Miguel, Janette’s son, are at the forefront. Their coffees have been awarded and auctioned several times at the Best of Panama, and are often featured by coffee champions on the world stage. The 2023 World Barista Champion won the top accolade using a Janson Panama Geisha, while in 2024, UAE National Brewer's Cup and National Barista Champions both ranked among the Worlds Semi-Finalists, also using Janson coffees.
Throughout their 30+ year history, the Jansons have relied on the experience of their founders while remaining attentive to every step and fine-tuning areas of production, from cultivation to processing, that will allow them to produce increasingly more delicious coffees. To begin with, they maintain the balance of nutrients in the soil by preserving the endemic flora in their farms, which serve as natural barriers and obviate the need for pesticides or herbicides.
Pickers are trained to select and hand-collect only the properly ripe cherries at harvest, and to further re-assess the cherries in their baskets and remove any that do not conform. These are then carefully placed in plastic crates, and no longer in sacks, to be sent for processing. This change was done to remove the risk of the cherries being compressed, and losing juices and sugars beneficial to flavor development, while in transit to the beneficio or plant. Upon reaching the plant, the cherries are passed through a mechanical siphon to separate the denser cherries from the rest before going into fermentation. This is done since the highest potential for the best flavors rests within the healthiest cherries, typically indicated by a higher density.
Tasting notes: Jasmine, white grapes, orange, early grey
12. Finca Auromar - Firestone Washed Gesha - Chiriqui, Panama
Nestled within a highland tropical forest regarded as a natural reserve in Candela, Chiriquí, Panama — Finca Auromar, established and led by triathlete and coffee producer Roberto Brenes, is the provenance of the Best of Panama 1st Place Geisha Washed lot Firestone in 2022.
Tasting notes: Orange blosom, mandarine, white grapes, candied lemon