La Esmeralda Panama Boquete Palmyra
Happy Friday you all. Our winter weather is predicted to return today, and while I’ve enjoyed all the flowers blooming (see the header picture), it’s good to see cold temperatures coming back. It is only the last week of February after all. On top of that, the Little League baseball season has started around our house, and it seems like it always rains when baseball starts.
This week we have a new coffee for you. This is a Panamanian coffee, from the Boquete region, and the same farm as the Panama Geisha that we’ve featured several times. This coffee, however, is composed of a different variety, the Catuai. This is not as spectacular a bean as the Geisha, but it is carefully processed coffee, and it brews a good cup.
The Hacienda La Esmeralda is a unique farm, and you can find their website here. This Palmyra is picked by a nomadic group, and the farm provides them with a nursery for their children, as well as medical care and meals. According to this page, at other estates the young children come with their parents and are exposed to the elements.
They also have a focus on sustainability and good farming practices. We have roasted this coffee light, and it has sweet tones of vanilla as you sip, and finishes with a strong nutty taste. It’s a testament to the care taken in the processing that it has such good flavor.
You can try a cup on us this week with the code winter returns*. One can always hope, right? In other news, next Saturday, March 7th, is the Foothills Celebration. It is a food and wine tasting event around town, sponsored by Sierra Vintners and the Grass Valley Downtown Association. Tomorrow is the last day to buy early tickets at a reduced price (online here). You can also win a pair of tickets on the Outside Inn blog here (who doesn’t love a giveaway?).
As March blows in on Sunday, I wish you all the best. If you live locally, enjoy the storm. We certainly need it. And as always, drink good coffee.
–Holly Fike
*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Panama Palmyra. Code expires on 3.5.15. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.