About This Coffee
The Hartmann family patriarch, Alois St. Hartmann, was born in Czechoslovakia in 1891. In 1914, at the onset of First World War, Hartmann emigrated to Pennsylvania in the United States where he changed his name to Luis Hartmann. Hartmann later purchased land in Chiriqui, in Panama and built a house. On that land, Hartmann began growing the first coffee trees on the Hartmann Estate.
Direct descendants of Luis Hartmann own and manage the estate today. Third generation, Ratibor Hartmann manages the business and each of his four siblings oversees a specific aspect of the farm. There is a warm family vibe at this estate and issues are resolved smoothly in a way that you can tell that this family has lived together all their lives.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After harvest, cherry is pulped. Coffee and mucilage is moved to raised drying beds. For black honey, as much of the mucilage is left on the coffee as possible. Raised beds allow for greater airflow during drying and reduce the risk of fermenting or spoiling. Coffee is usually not turned during the first 24 hours of drying but then raked regularly afterwards. On average, drying takes between 1 and 3 weeks.
About Caturra
Caturra, a coffee variety known for its short, compact stature, is a natural mutation of Bourbon. It was first discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil around 1915. The variety is the result of the mutation in a single gene of the Bourbon variety that made the plant smaller but still high yielding. As it spread, Caturra enabled higher-density coffee cultivation.
As a direct descendant of Bourbon, Caturra is well known for delicate and complex flavors that are often floral and fruity. At the same time, its close relationship with Bourbon means Caturra is very susceptible to coffee leaf rust (CLR) and other common coffee diseases and pests. As a result, Caturra was later bred with CLR-resistant hybrids from Timor-Leste, producing the Catimor and its subsequent varieties.
Coffee in Panama
Though small in coffee production, Panama is a mighty player in coffee quality. In particular, Panama is famous for producing Geisha variety lots that have fetched prices exceeding $800 per pound. Today, its renown as a producer of rare and sought-after varieties positions Panama as a contender for a new kind of ‘coffee-tourism’ that has the potential to change the way we produce, purchase, consume and talk about specialty coffee on a global scale.
The high value of Geisha has brought out both the best and worst in the industry. For established producers who receive excellent prices for their Geisha and other lots, the high prices they receive have often been reinvested in their communities and in renovating their farms to be as environmentally sustainable as possible. Unfortunately, the lure of Geisha’s high value has led some people bypass traditional land purchasing agreements and illegally deforest areas of national parks to get the best location for new (and illicit) Geisha farms.
Even as the number of producers those receiving high prices for their Geisha remains relatively low, the blossoming coffee industry in Panama has demonstrated potential to raise incomes for a wider spectrum of producers and coffee workers.