La Berlina Estate: Special lot

Beans: Panama La Berlina Estate Special lot
Roaster: Akai-mi Coffee
Roasting degree: Medium Roast
Area: Rubengera, Horqueta, Boquete region, 
      Chiriqui Province, Panama

Altitude: 1,450m ～ 
Varietals: Bourbon, Typica
Grade: N/A
Processing method: Wet process(Washed) 







 【Impression】
Light to medium body, citrus lemony aroma with white grapes, clear transparent, airy texture, mellow, crisp, well-balanced sweetness and bitterness with clear thin layer of acidity on top, sweetness of roasted nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, tangy but flat acidity gradually growing, mellow watery sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.  
This cup is definitely for hand-drip, hot, w/o milk and sugar.  Good pair with summer sweets like naturally sweetened bavarois and blancmange, something not heavy.  
Once a cup chilled, sweetness and bitterness lay low and tangy acidity grows.  

【Note: La Berlina Estate】

Located near Boquete, one of the finest coffee growing area of Panama, La Berlina has impressed the world coffee market sunce 90's.  Coffee from this estate has won several prestagious awards, such as 1st place on Best of Panama, which made the name of Berlina well known.  From organic to prestagious, La Berlina Estate satisfies and leads Panaman coffee world.

Talking Coffee beans has a well balanced deep flavor, moderate sweetness, with a mild citrus crispness in the cup.  Hints of chocolate are present.  Its finish is called "refined" by one coffee expert .  Since La Berlina is one of the few estates still growing exclusively old Typica trees and not higher yield producing hybrids, this selection offers you a chance to experience the full flavor of old style coffee.  It is perhaps, the quintessential Central American Cup.

Akaimi-Coffee in August 2012

Lovely treat from AKAIMI coffee!

Together with flavorful Kenya, same as last time, there are two new selection from fresh crop:

Panama: Finca La Berlina
Nicaragua: Finca La Virgen

Both Panama and Nicaragua are  from Prize wining estate, Finca La Berlina and La Virgen.  However, these beans are not taken from prize winning, auction lots but grown at prize wining estate.  Does these have value?  To be honest, we do not know until we cup them.  There are millions estates in coffee growing region; some of them are well known and some of them are hidden, thus COE winners are appreciated with apparent in quality.    

Prize winning lot gives unique flavor certainly, but it also price worthy as we all know very well.  Unfortunately, not all of us identify the uniqueness in flavor, nor appreciate value of COE or any kind.  In common market, Prize winning estate means the center of quality standard, which creates and heightens flavor, in general, "quality", of coffee beans.  COE winning estate means mostly well managed estate and "special selection" or "selected" beans from these estates may satisfy coffee lovers soul and mind when they meet the finest roasters.