Introduction:
It truly is a pleasure to bring you coffee from Hacienda Cañas Verdes - also known as Abu Coffee from Panama. I first became intrigued with Abu coffee when I began seeing his coffee pop up with coffee friends I have the good fortune to know from around the world. Shortly thereafter, I was introduced to José Luttrell, the current producer of Abu Coffee, by Alvin Cheng (avid coffee home brewer, well known internationally and in Hong Kong). A few weeks later we eagerly received our first coffee samples from Abu and rushed to get them on our cupping tables. With so many beautifully processed and grown coffees, it was hard to narrow down our favourites. After multiple cuppings, we decided to bring you multiple Abu Coffee lots.
José is an absolute pleasure to work with. He helped us with our coffee selection and getting his coffee to Canada was a breeze. Additionally, José's great grand father was originally from Toronto, Canada. I jokingly mentioned that he is a honorable Canadian :D.
Jose is a young producer with about 5 years of production under his belt. However, he has built a sterling reputation for Abu with multiple places in the Best of Panama Coffee auction. This year, Abu's Natural Geisha placed 11th in the Best of Panama Auction.
Farm information:
Origin: Boquete, Cañas Verdes district, Chiriqui Province, Panama
Farm: Hacienda Cañas Verdes
Total Crop Area: 11 ha
Altitude: 1550 MASL
Average Temperature: 16 - 23 C during the day and 10 - 15 C at night
Soil: pH 5.0-6.0 Volcanic soil with high levels of organic material
Average Rainfall: 3500 mm/year
Varieties grow: Geisha and Catuai
Harvest: January - March
Harvest method: 100% hand picked
Why the name Abu? - From Best of Panama
ABU COFFEE was named to honor the memory of José Guillermo Luttrell Tedman, the third generation of coffee producers. They are trying to continue his dream of achieving what he considered the best-balanced coffee cup - a Geisha raised with the highest standards of quality.
That is why “ABU” (short for Abuelo, grandfather in Spanish), as his grandchildren used to call him, represents the legacy of this visionary and passionate lover of Boquete and specialty coffee that the farm wants to preserve for the generations to come.
Hey Rogue Wave - Why 'Geisha' this time?
While we generally use "Gesha" instead of "Geisha" in our offerings, we also like to respect our producers and their history. One thing is that "Panama Geisha" is a brand, and producers in Panama have to respect the Speciality Coffee Association of Panama brand. But the most important part was that the seed in which José's grand uncle bought for the farm was named 'Geisha'. You can see the original bill of sale from the May 10th 1971 below. With this in mind, although our listing is 'geisha', the label on the bag will be 'gesha'.
Abu Coffee at Rogue Wave:
We have brought in the following lots for you to enjoy :)
Geisha Lot 45-9W - Fully washed - Double phase anaerobic process where coffee cherries are pulped and "dry fermented" for up to 48 hours before being fully hand-washed with clean mountain water, then dried on raised beds for 15 days
Cupping notes: Bright cherry, apricot, sweet tropical, caramel, lime citrus and grapefruit, blueberries, creamy lemon, dark chocolate, marshmallow, red grape, lush and lingering finish.
Geisha Lot 440-36N -Natural - Anaerobic dry process for 168 hours and then sun-dried on raised bed for 25 days (ASD).
Cupping notes: Plum juice, berries, lychee, pomegranate, orange, grape syrup, jasmine, chocolate, sweet and balance.
Geisha Lot 81-11N - Natural - Anaerobic dry process for 80 hours and then sundried on raised beds for 25 days (ASD).
Cupping notes: Cranberry, tangerine, jasmine, caramel, chocolate, mint, blueberries, red berreis, sage, watermelon, gooseberry jam, nectarine, sweet finish.
Geisha Lot 33-7W - Fully washed - Double phrase anaerobic process where coffee cherries are pulped and "dry fermented" for up to 44 hours before being fully hand-washed with clean mountain water, then dried on raised beds for 15 days
Cupping notes: Papaya, milky, sweet, floral, maple candy, chamomile, coconut jelly, plum, cherry, green grape, sweet and linger
Catuai Lot 510-46L - Fully washed.
Catuai Lot 521-47N - Natural ASD
Recipes: recipes are meant to be use as guide and not an end all for the coffee. Please dial in to your personal taste.
Abu Geisha Natural 440-36N:
15g coffee to 240g water - 1:16 ratio - grind size, medium-fine-ish
Using Origami dripper and Kono paper
Water at 94C, 100 PPM
- 45g bloom for 45s
- then add water slowly 180g
- around 1:20 min add water to 240g
Total brew time around 2:20 min
Cup characteristic:Jasmine aroma and floral notes, lots of lychee and tangerine turning into sweetness of chocolate and mixed berries. Cool down to plum. Juicy body.
Substitute kono paper with V60 paper or Cafec Light paper, grind coarser, to get a brighter and little cleaner cup but less sweetness and body.
Abu Geisha Washed 45-9W:
15g coffee to 255g water - 1:17 ratio - grind size, medium
Using Origami dripper and kono paper
Water at 93C, 100 PPM
- 45g bloom for 45s
- then add water slowly 200g
- around 1:30 min add water - Center pour to minimize agitation to 260g
Total brew time around 2:30 min
Cup characteristic:Jasmine aroma and floral notes, citrus initially that remind us of lime and grapefruit, then turn into sweet berries, mixed tropical, and then the chocolate comes toward the end. The body is light, yet creamy and lush. This is a delicate coffee.
Enjoy a lighter body buy using Cafec light or hario paper.
We are really excited to bring you Abu coffee and I really hope you enjoy this meticulously gown and processed coffee as much as we do.
Ply
P.S. We are expecting to update this when we release more coffee from Abu.
