Coffee farmers Ratibor and Tessie Hartmann have been growing exceptional coffees on their plantations in Panama for years. Boot Koffie has proudly been working with these passionate farmers for many years. Watch this impressive video about one of their latest projects: The Great Reserve. Among others, Ratibor and Tessie grow the Panama Hartmann Birdsong and the Panama Mi Finquita Natural - Limited Edition for Boot. Watch the video and taste it for yourself. Happiness through taste.

Crop:
2022 / 2023.

Flavor Indication:
Forest fruit, chocolate & sweet.

Brewing method:
Espresso machine, espresso pitcher, iced and with milk.

Coffee Plantation:
Finca Hartmann Estate, Volcán district, on the slopes of Volcan Baru, north -west Panama.

Certification:
Direct Trade.

Meet the coffee farmer:
Coffee farmer: Hartmann family
Coffee: Panama Hartmann Birdsong
Plantation: Finca Hartmann Estate
Location: District Volcán

The coffee farmer:
The Hartmann family is one of the pioneers of specialty coffee production in Panama. Alois Strasil Hartmann (born in 1891 in the Moravia region, 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 employees 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 plantation and coffee:
Finca Hartmann is located at an altitude of 1,280 - 1,800 meters in the Santa Clara, Renacimiento region in the province of Chiriqui. 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: In 2018, Ratibor and Tessie came to visit us in the Netherlands. Together we brought back beautiful memories: When I walked around with my brother Willem and my father Jacob there was something very beautiful: a small wooden house, in the middle of the rainforest reserve where beans were resting. A very special building which really has a magical aura for the family. Next to it the magical spring "Ojo de Aqua", the spring "Eye of the water", which is located at the highest point of the finca. You can hear so many bird sounds there and even the monkeys swinging among the trees above the coffee bushes. And so in the 90's the love of buying these beautiful coffees began. We go there almost every year.
Now over the years we have continuously taken the coffee with small breaks. The coffee has developed tremendously in taste. Thanks to the experiences we share with each other. Two years ago, the Hartmann family won the "Best of Panama," a special award in the Specialty Coffee world. And this year again. This is really something to be proud of!

Coffee - designers
In addition to native Panamanian varieties, the Hartmann family also experiments with new varieties not previously present in Panama. They search on their finca for the right places where these coffees will be at their best. Actually, at the Hartmann family they are not coffee farmers but real coffee designers. They advise many farmers in the area but also far beyond Panama. Ratibor Hartmann Jr. together with his wife Tessie Palacios and farmers in the area also produce some other wonderful Boot Coffees, such as the Momota Maragogype Natural Limited which we expect at the end of November.

Organization:
The plantation normally employs about 35 people. 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, provided with electricity and clean drinking water. Certainly not a given in Panama and the coffee world!

Futureproof Coffee Collective:
In Latin America, Panama is among the relatively prosperous countries, comparable to Chile, Argentina and Mexico. It has the highest minimum wage in the region. The Hartmann family attaches great importance to paying their workers a decent income and providing good housing and living conditions. Only in this way, for example, can the pickers actually pick the right, ripe berries. Instead of haphazardly picking for the highest possible kilo yield. The plantation has sufficient natural water and cultivation in the middle of the rainforest ensures excellent soil and minimal environmental impact. Pure coffee and you can taste it!

The name "Panama Hartmann Birdsong":
The Birdsong gets its name from the many birds that nest on the plantation, including in the coffee bushes. More than 280 species have been spotted by birders.

Download the coffee sheet:

Coffee sheet (PDF)