ROASTING IN JULY: PANAMA DON BOSCO

AS PRISTINE AS THE VIRGIN RAINFOREST THAT SURROUNDS THE FARM

The magic of our July limited release, Panama Don Bosco, begins where it’s grown. Finca Don Bosco is a farm reimagined as paradise. Two-thirds of the land is untouched rain and cloud forest, sprawling into La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, a unique “Friendship” park shared by Panama and Costa Rica. Within this sustainable system, Finca Don Bosco is able to produce gem-like coffees without harming the forest or selling parcels of land to development.  

A SINGLE ORIGIN WITH DEEP ROOTS

Much as the Biosphere Reserve is made possible through the friendship between Panama and Costa Rica, this coffee is made possible by our relationship with the Moreno family. Forged over many years working together, we promise to purchase their whole production at a profit to the farm. As manager Marcos Moreno promises to preserve his grandfather’s vision: producing pristine Panama coffee while preserving World Heritage cloud forest. 

THE EPITOME OF EXCLUSIVITY

We buy all of the farm’s production, so you won’t find this coffee anywhere else—period. This amazing coffee has been a team player in our blends, and we love it when we’re able to give it a spotlight suited to its MVP status.

FINE, ELEGANT & CLEAN

Taste this jewel of a cup with white blossom aromatics and impactful notes of sweet Meyer lemon and silky Dutch cocoa; its mid-palate depth of flavor is so concentrated, you feel like you could bite into it. It’s the best expression of a very high-grown Central American coffee, and as pristine as the virgin rainforest that surrounds the farm. Puro café. 

A single farm, the finest in Panama.

A single family, preserving rainforest heritage.

A single source: Peet’s. 

NOTES FROM THE PEET'S ROASTERY

This washed coffee from the Piedra de Candela region in Panama arrived at the Roastery looking every bit as clean as it smelled. This year the aroma was all fresh green grass. The beans were medium-dark green and evenly colored from one end of the sample to the other, with no visible defects. A genuinely pretty coffee. We couldn't see the coffee through the bag, so we drew a sample with the tryer to get a proper look.  

Panama Don Bosco is a pleasure to roast. Its behavior is consistent, and it finishes easily to the color we're after. Although a full year had passed since we last roasted this lot, all four batches landed right on our target color—which isn’t always the case. Even single-origin coffees from estates we've worked with for years can vary in nuance from season to season. 

One of the joys of the 12kg room is that you can hear and smell everything, closer than you ever get on the R1000. When we pulled out the tryer to listen, the first pop came through clearly, building to a strong peak. Even standing out in the roasting area, the aroma was remarkably sweet, with hints of cocoa. Crack a bean open and you'll see why: a dark stripe of caramelized sugars running right down the center. 

In the cup, the sweetness Panama Don Bosco is known for arrives right on cue. Soft white blossom aromatics open it up, followed by a sweet Meyer lemon brightness and a silky Dutch cocoa finish that ties back to the sugars we smelled at the roaster. It's a high, clean, clear sweetness that comes through every year.  

Panama Don Bosco could make you into a pour over convert. Give it a taste before adding sugar and let us know what you think. I’m taking a bag home today and looking forward to my next cup.  

-Michael Madden and John Nicolini, Roasters; Jamie Smith, R&D

  

 

LIMITED RELEASE PEET’S COFFEES

You might think that a monthly coffee subscription sounds amazing in and of itself, but Peet’s coffee-of-the-month takes it a step further than most. Good things come in small packages, and we only get these coffees in small batches, which is why you can only find them at peets.com and only for a month at a time. They’re special. And while you don’t have to be a Small Batch Coffee subscriber to experience these amazing coffees, their fleeting nature means they can sell out—fast. So subscribing guarantees you get to taste each one of these incredibly special lots.