Gesha
Natural DRD
El Burro, Lot 15

Tastes Like:  Mango, Violet, Strawberries

Origin:  El Burro Estate, Chiriquí, Panama

Variety: Gesha

Producer:  Lamastus Family

Elevation:  1,550–1,800 masl

Process:   Natural, darkroom dried

Cup Profile

This natural Gesha from El Burro Estate presents a fruit-forward cup with mango and strawberry sweetness, supported by violet-like florals. Darkroom drying adds a controlled, slow-dried fruit depth while preserving the aromatic clarity and refined structure associated with high-elevation Gesha from Panama.

El Burro Estate

El Burro Estate is part of Lamastus Family Estates in Chiriquí, Panama, produced by the Lamastus family, whose coffee production history in Panama spans four generations. The estate is located in Potrerillos, Dolega, near Barú Volcano, and is one of the southernmost coffee farms in Panama.

The farm partially lies within Barú Volcano National Park and is surrounded by native cloud forest. Coffee at El Burro grows from 1,550–1,800 masl, with young volcanic soils, cold nights, heavy wet-season precipitation, and a distinct microclimate shaped by the surrounding forest and volcanic terrain. These conditions slow cherry maturation and support dense seed development, contributing to the clarity, florality, and concentrated fruit expression associated with this lot.

Variety

Gesha is an Ethiopian landrace variety that became strongly associated with Panama after gaining international recognition through the Best of Panama competition. In the cup, Gesha is often valued for aromatic intensity, delicate florals, tea-like structure, and precise fruit expression, especially when grown at high elevation. In this coffee, the variety’s floral side aligns with the violet note, while the natural process emphasizes the mango and strawberry tones.

Processing

This coffee is naturally processed, meaning the coffee cherries are dried whole before the seed is removed from the fruit. For this lot, the cherries were dried in a darkroom for around 30 days, allowing the fruit to dry slowly and evenly in a controlled environment. This approach can build ripe fruit sweetness, a rounder texture, and deeper aromatics while helping preserve Gesha’s florality and cup clarity.

Why Hydrangea Chose This Coffee

We selected this lot during our first visit of the year in March with Wilford Lamastus. Lot 15 stood out as a clear expression of El Burro’s natural Gesha profile: tropical fruit, red-fruit sweetness, and delicate florals, with the darkroom drying contributing depth without overwhelming the variety’s clarity. It also reflects an important direct connection for Hydrangea, chosen in person at the estate and tied to an ongoing relationship with the Lamastus family.