About This Coffee
At Eduvina Estate, Eduviges Alvarez honors his parents, Eduviges and Fina, by producing incredible-quality Geisha lots that capitalize on the superb coffee growing conditions in the region. Eduviges inherited the land from his father and invested his savings from working at the nearby Esmeralda Estate into planting Geisha trees across his farm.
His hard work cultivating Geisha in the ideal conditions of high altitude, nutrient-rich soil has paid off with this delightful Natural that’s a perfect embodiment of Geisha’s potential.
Cultivation
Eduviges cultivates bananas, inga trees and other native species as shade cover for growing coffee trees.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Eduviges selectively handpicks only ripe, red cherry and processes it on his farm. He lays selected cherry on raised beds to sundry. Eduviges rakes drying cherry frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 30 days for cherry to dry. Once dry, cherry rests on the farm for 90 to 100 days before being transported, dry milled and prepared for export.
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.