My husband and I are in the highlands of Panama, in Chiriqui province (in yellow on the first map) near the Costa Rican border. We are staying near the city of Volcan, on the western flank of Volcan Baru at about 1500 meters (5000 feet) . Chiriqui is the main coffee growing area in Panama. Boquete is on the other side of the volcano, but there are plenty of farms all around us, including Finca Hartmann and Carmen Estate, whose coffees we’ve both reviewed.
We have coffee shrubs growing on our rented property, and as it is harvest season here, the cherries are ripe. I tasted the pulp, and it’s very sweet, but sparse. I can now see how tenacious the mucilaginous coating on the beans is, and it really helps me understand the why and how of wet processing coffee. I’ll try to take a little video of I can. We plan on visiting at least one coffee farm, and I will also post photos of the area as I have the opportunity.
Revised on January 20, 2011