Panama is known for three things: the canal, the hats, and some of the best coffee you’ll ever taste in your life.
This cracker of a coffee opens with warm aromatics of cedar and dark chocolate, and the cup reveals rich flavours of plum and honeycomb, with a little splash of port for festivity.
Buttery smooth, with a light green apple acidity, the La Santa wraps up with a toffee sweet finish.
Strung between two other coffee powerhouses – Costa Rica and Colombia — Panama is bisected by two steep volcanic mountain ranges cloaked in tropical rainforest.
The La Santa finca (farm) is perched amongst this rainforest in Panama’s north, right up against the Costa Rican border.
Jose Manuel Gallardo and his family are second generation coffee growers, and have worked to encourage biodiversity on the finca, creating unique microclimates within the property which each produce unique coffees.
Served hot as an espresso based coffee, the La Santa is bursting with flavour and sweetness.
Black coffees are complex and smooth, and the buttery body transitions seamlessly into the lingering toffee notes. Creamy cappuccinos are particularly lush with the dark chocolate, honeycomb, plum, port and toffee notes blending into Christmas in a cup.
The Panama La Santa chills down extremely well, the rich flavours work perfectly in an iced coffee or cold drip. If you’re adding milk try a double ristretto to really lean into the honeycomb and plum and amp up the port booziness.
If you prefer your coffee black, try cutting your cold brew with sparkling water instead of still - it’s bright and sweet and bold and utterly delicious.
