Crop:
2022 - 2023.

Flavor Indication:
Delicate, orange, caramel & apricot.

Brewing Method Espresso:
Espresso machine, full automatic, espresso jug, iced and with milk.

Meet the coffee farmer:
Coffee farmer: Ricardo Koyner (50%) and Ratibor Hartmann (50%).
Coffee: Panamaria
Plantation: 'the Carolina Farm' part of the Kotowa plantation and Hartmann Estate.
Location: Boquete, Panama

The coffee farmer - Ricardo Koyner:
Ricardo Koyner is the third generation to run the Kotowa plantation. Around 1900, no one lived in the mountainous area of Boquete. Ricardo's grandfather, a Canadian who married a Panamanian, settled there. In doing so, he founded this successful company that produces the finest coffees. Ricardo bases his operations on an integral quality idea, where the overall quality is based on three pillars: the coffee, dealing with the environment and caring for people.

The Coffee Farmer - Ratibor Hartmann:
The Hartmann family is one of the pioneers of specialty coffee production in Panama. Alois Strasil Hartmann (born in 1891 in the region of Moravia, then the Austro-Hungarian Empire) emigrated to Panama. His son Ratibor Hartmann laid the foundation for Finca Hartmann in 1940. Finca Hartmann is a 3rd and 4th generation family business. All family members are passionately involved in running the finca. They each perform different functions in the growth, production and promotion of the coffee plantation. Coffee for them is a way of life, their culture together with family and a lot of love.

And let that be exactly true for Barend Boot and all his staff at Boot Koffie.
Finca Hartmann and Boot Koffie have had a successful, happiness-making partnership for more than 25 years. Driven by an untold passion for coffee.

The Kotowa plantation and coffee:
The total plantation is 75 hectares and is located amid natural forestation with great biodiversity. This afforestation naturally reduces erosion and also resists the strong mountain winds. The presence of these trees affects the soil and air in the area. This "natural fertilization" gives the coffee beans their sweet fresh sparkling flavor. The part of the plantation where Boot's coffee comes from is the original "Carolina Farm" that started the Kotowa plantation. It is located at an altitude of 1300 - 1500 meters. The Kotowa plantation won the 'National Enviromental Award' in Panama in 2012 and 2018; a nice recognition of its commitment to good, green, business practices.

The Finca Hartmann plantation and coffee:
Finca Hartmann is located at 1,280 - 1,800 meters altitude in the Santa Clara, Renacimiento region of Chiriqui province. Facing the plantation on one side is a natural rainforest reserve with hundreds of unusual birds. The other side is the border area with Costa Rica. At night it is really cold there, with lots of cold wind and rain coming from the Atlantic Ocean and moving through the mountains of Panama. It is precisely because of these harsh conditions that the coffee beans develop well and acquire an intense flavor. The coffee is grown in the shade of the indigenous ancient rainforest. They try not to cut down trees, but replant native trees to maintain the natural cycle and a healthy soil, animal and bird population. They believe that only in this way can they maintain a long-term sustainable coffee production cycle. This very natural environment also forms the varied and intense layering of flavors in the coffee. Finca Hartmann is home to 280 different species of birds. A unique place where unique coffee is grown.

No pesticides have been used at Finca Hartmann for decades. Sustainable cultivation of extreme quality coffee with respect for the fauna of the rainforest is THE motto. Finca Hartmann employs the indigenous people of the Ngöbe tribes so that in this way they can make a living independently. All grading is done by hand. The berries that do not meet Hartmann's quality standards are used as organic fertilizer for the crops.

Finca Hartmann is at the forefront of specialty coffee - progressive and purely quality-oriented - and the natural production process of their Birdsong perfectly demonstrates the result of their dedication, but more importantly, taste it. And how!

Barend Boot: "30 years ago, my parents were on a coffee tour through Central America. In Panama, on the border with Costa Rica, they came across a special plantation. The chef of the plantation turned out to be Maria Ruiz; she became the 'mother' of this flavor, for which the coffee is named. The flavor of the Panamaria was composed 26 years ago from all kinds of lots, by Jacob Boot, Maria and Plinio Ruiz at the tasting table in Panama."

Organization Koyner:
The plantation normally employs about 25 people per "farm. During Harvest Time, this rises to 100 people. In Panama, coffee farmers also provide housing for their staff. Ricardo is committed to providing quality sanitation and health facilities to ensure a dignified existence. Far above the minimum requirements. Running drinking water, a real toilet, electricity and preventing indoor burning of wood are the standard.

Organization Hartmann:
About 35 people normally work on the plantation. At harvest time, 200 indigenous families live on the plantation. In Panama, coffee farmers also provide housing for their staff. The Hartmann family provides a safe, good living environment, equipped with electricity and clean drinking water. Certainly not a given in Panama and the coffee world!

Futureproof Coffee Collective:
Within Latin America, Panama is among the relatively prosperous countries, comparable to Chile, Argentina and Mexico. It has the highest minimum wage in the region. A worker working a normal 8-hour day on the plantations earns between 120 and 140% of the minimum wage plus housing worth about 20% of the prevailing minimum wage. Ricardo Koyner and Boot Koffie share the vision of responsible coffee production. Producing higher quality coffee leads, within limits, to a much higher price for the coffee. This higher quality can only be achieved really well and consistently by making the quality of the coffee go hand in hand with caring for the soil, the environment and your staff.

The name 'Panamaria':
This coffee, the first to come from Panama, has been part of Boot Koffie's range for nearly 30 years. Panamaria is named after Maria Ruiz, the then chief of the plantation and co-founder of its unique flavor. Barend explains, "In 1993 we, (Barend and brother Willem), started importing coffees from Maria Ruiz. My father Jacob and mother Marianne tasted coffees from different micro plantation areas with Maria and her brothers in Panama at the time, and thus compiled the flavor profile of the first Panamaria coffee. The Panamaria coffee immediately became a runner in the range."

Downloads:

Coffee sheet (PDF)  BOOT Coffee Brew Guide (PDF)