Panama Boquete Coffee: Superb Tasting Coffee.

Panama Boquete coffee is truly as delicious and special as the great wines from the French region of Bordeaux.

Panama Boquete Coffee has earned its reputation among the best in the world for several years based on results from recognized international coffee cupping competitions and buyer demand. Panama Boquete Coffee is complex and distinctive, featuring hints of uncultivated flowers such as jasmine, mandarin, berries or other. Why is that?

The Boquete Region has some of the most beautiful and stunning flower gardens in the world!

Often, Panama Boquete Coffee is compared to wine.

The verdant and colorful natural production of Boquete rivals that of the great European Mediterranean gardens of Monaco, Italy or those of California and South Africa. Bromeliads of all sizes and colors cover the shade trees in the coffee fincas. There are several subfamilies of bromeliads: pineapples and Spanish moss are both kinds of bromeliads.
In coffee plantations, bromeliads are epiphytic ("parasitic") plants that grow naturally in Panama's tropical environment. Orchids, another epiphytic species found in coffee habitats, also grow naturally in the Boquete region. Draping moss covering trees and vegetation is everywhere. In a way, the "coffee forests" look magical and surreal.

Coffee plantations are also noisy areas with bird calls constantly echoing from one end to another.
Flowerbeds of jasmine flowers, mostly white but also some species of yellow flowers, are a recurrent sight with a permeating unique fragrance. The Boquete region is also famous for very sweet and delicious oranges and mandarins. These are shade trees that grow, side by side, with coffee bushes.

The list of other wild flowers, fruit trees and natural plants present where coffee grows is very long but explains the unique hints of flower fragrances, taste and aroma in Panama Boquete Coffee.

What makes Panama Boquete Coffee so special? As they say in real estate, location, location, location.

The areas of Boquete, Volcan, Candela, Santa Clara and Bambito, in Panama, all offer exceptional conditions for producing gourmet specialty coffee.

The highlands of Panama enjoy wonderful coffee growing microclimate conditions: volcanic soils, abundant precipitation, cool temperatures, perfect mid range altitudes and plenty of shade for gourmet coffee cultivation. Coffee is hand picked which means that only the perfectly ripe, red berries are harvested.

The farms emphasize shade grown cultivation and allow the precise amount of sun on each coffee tree. In addition, the shade habitat protects the environment and is a wonderful area for fauna and flora. The coffee from these regions is complex, distinctive, fragrant and truly remarkable.

Panama's soil is perfect for cultivating and harvesting a great variety of Specialty Coffees with characteristics that include hints of uncultivated flowers. For example: jasmine, mandarin, ripe fruit, berries, caramel,vanilla, and chocolate are highly regarded. The coffee varietals in Panama include Geisha, Typica, Bourbon, San Ramon, Pashe, Catuai and Caturra.

Panama's coffee growers are very adept at segmenting their farms production, analyzing and tasting the coffee produced by each area of their farms and cataloguing it by a specific source of origin.

This has been a great way to improve quality and establish a reputation for specialty coffees unlike other coffee producing countries.

Panama has the smallest coffee production in Central America.

An interesting fact to note is how Panama, such a small country, can beat much larger competitors who also have wonderful coffees.

In 1996, during the international coffee crisis when prices dropped dramatically, the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama was established. Panama coffee growers understood that they could not compete with others from a volume standpoint but decided they would compete in quality.

The growth of specialty coffee consumption specifically over the past ten years has been a boost to quality and origin coffees. Since Panama coffee growers had been focused on quality origin coffee and "limited editions' before they were popularized, they were in an excellent position to benefit from new marketing trends demanding more quality specialty coffee.

The Guaymi Indians are Panama's largest group of indigenous peoples.

At one time, they were divided into three distinctive tribes named after their Indian chiefs, the Urraca of Veraguas, the Nata in Cocle Province and the Parita on the Azuero Peninsula. Nowadays, the remaining Guaymis are the Ngobe (Ngabe) people who have intermingled and co-exist with the Bugle tribe.
There are about 170,000 Ngobe and less than 20,000 Bugle. They live near Panama's western border, in a "comarca' (reservation) divided into seven districts. The "comarca" covers less than 10 percent of Panama's territory; in the Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro and Veraguas provinces.

During the coffee harvest season, tribe members leave their small communities and villages to work as migrant workers in the coffee plantations in the western part of the country.

For this reason, coffee picking time from October to February is particularly colorful and interesting in Panama's Chiriquí coffee region, also called "land of the eternal rainbow." Picture this: thousands of migrants, dressed in their native attire, crossing the fields picking red coffee berries. The community, during this temporary work migration, remains very cohesive and tightly organized. The migrant tribe members maintain a sense of cultural celebration about their ways, their beautiful clothing, colorful beads, language, songs and traditions. If anything, exposure to the "outside world" has made the tribe more proud.

Coffee picking is a task that family members of both genders and various ages can do together.

During coffee harvests, when the thousands of expected Indian migrant workers arrive, it is interesting to see how well organized they are. The migrant workers maintain a normal life and preserve their family unit.
The men are the primary coffee pickers. The women of the tribe are responsible for the primary care of the children and the dwellings they inhabit. Work is divided among the families so that some of the women can devote time to working their crafts and arts.

The "chacara" is a type of woven bag made by the women that displays ancestral legends. They use materials such as fibres from "pita" and "cabuya" plants. The designs are inspired by the jagged shapes and colors typical of the local mountains and forests.

The combination of cash earned from selling crafts and arts to tourists or commercial exporters plus the wages from coffee picking are an important source of income for the tribe.

For the coffee growers, the communities in and around the coffee plantations and the tourists visiting the area, the Indian migrants provide a unique direct glimpse into a different life style. Fortunately, it remains vibrant and energized among the indigenous people who pride themselves in their tribal identity. The migrant workers also contribute to the local economy in many other ways, including the profitable growth of eco-tourism and related economic development.

Picking red coffee cherries by hand is long, tedious work that requires patience and great care.

In Panama, the Indians play a significant role in helping maintain the tradition of Gourmet Specialty Coffee that makes Panama Boquete coffee a favorite of coffee connoisseurs worldwide. Why does this matter?

The definition of specialty coffee begins at the origin of coffee. It refers to the planting of a specific coffee variety in a particular growing region of the world. However, the definition does not stop there. Specialty coffee depends upon the care given to the plant through harvest and preparation for export.

Coffee cherry picking is an extremely important phase of coffee harvesting. The goal is to pick only the red, mature berries and to leave the green berries on the plants until maturation. This means careful manual removal of only red cherries from the cluster and continuous passes over time on the same trees.

The coffee cherry matures an average of 5 to 6 months on the branch. The cherry needs to be ripe when hand picked. Green or yellow cherries are not acceptable in gourmet specialty coffee. Green cherries can ruin a cup. Yellow to red cherries may not do so but the best cherries for specialty coffee are those that are deep red to crimson.
Some red cherries, when picked, can be overly ripe. This may give the cup an interesting taste but it can ruin the cup if there are too many overly ripe cherries in the mix.

Coffee lovers around the world fortunate to enjoy a cup of delicious Panama Boquete Coffee, can thank a member of a tribe community for the patient and careful manual picking of only red cherries!

Enjoy a cup of delicious Panama Boquete Coffee!

T
he question is: can you gain weight when you drink coffee?

FACT: A one mug cup serving size of plain black brewed coffee has zero total fat, zero calories from fat and less than five total calories.
Plain black coffee does not add weight.

However, when you begin to dress up your coffee with cream, milk, sugar or anything else, that is when the calorie count and fat increases and the weight challenge begins.

The addition of other foods, pastries and sweets consumed with coffee will add more fat, sugar and calorie count. When it comes to weight control, all calories count, including both liquid and solid form.
As the old saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
There is no substitute to common sense and self-control when choosing how to dress up and what to eat with your coffee.
Before ordering those "extras" without giving it a second thought, take the time to check out the nutrition information provided or ask questions.

Consider the following information for some basic accompaniments to brewed coffee. These are examples based on a 2000 calorie diet per day.

1. One cup of mashed banana: 225.0g. Calories: 200. Calories from fat: 7. Positive points? High in vitamin C & vitamin B6. Low in saturated fat. No cholesterol. High in potassium. Negative point? High in sugar (2.5g)
2. Café latte made with whole milk: one "tall" serving size (336.0g). Calories: 180. Calories from fat: 81. Total fat: 9.0g. Saturated fat: 5.0. Cholesterol: 30 mg. Sodium: 115mg. Total carbohydrates; 14.0g. Positive point? High in calcium. Negative points?High in saturated fat and sugar.
3. Cream, whipped, cream topping, pressurized: one quarter (1/4) cup serving (15.0g). Calories: 38.5. Calories from fat: 30. Total fat: 3.3 g. Cholesterol: 11.5 mg. Sodium: 19.5 mg. Positive point? Low in sodium. Negative point? Very high in saturated fat.
4. Cheesecake commercially prepared: one ounce (28.3g) serving size. Calories: 91. Calories from fat: 57. Total fat: 6.4 g. Cholesterol: 16mg. Sodium: 59 mg. Total carbohydrates: 7.2 g. Positive point? No sugar. Negative point? High in saturated fat.
5. Cookies, oatmeal, prepared from recipe with raisins: one ounce serving size (28.3g). Calories: 123. Calories from fat; 41. Total fat: 4.6 g. Cholesterol: 9 mg. Sodium: 152 mg. Total carbohydrates: 19.4 g. Positive point? Very low sugar if raisins are the only natural sweet source.
6. Original Shredded Wheat 'N Bran Cereal: one serving size (1 1/4 cup or 59.0g). Calories: 197. Calories from fat: 7. Cholesterol: 0 mg. Sodium: 3 mg. Total carbohydrates: 47.1 g. Positive points? Very low in saturated fat, sodium and sugar. No cholesterol. High in magnesium. Negative point? What type of milk will you use with this cereal? All calories count...
7. Muffins, Blueberry, commercially prepared: serving size, one mini muffin (17.0 g). Calories: 67. Calories from fat: 29. Total fat: 3.3 g. Cholesterol: 7 mg. Sodium: 54 mg. Total carbohydrates: 8.4 g. Sugars: 4.6 g. Negative points? High in sugar. Will one mini muffin satisfy you?

The real question is: whatever happened to enjoying food in moderation?
There is no need to give up the foods and beverages you love. Instead, balance calories in small ways that add up to big benefits in the long run.

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Membership is open to anyone who loves really good coffee and sees the value in having it delivered directly each month for one low price and no shipping charges ("free shipping").

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To enroll in the OurGourmetCoffee.Com Club or to order specialty, gourmet coffee click on the link below,

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Panama Canal crossing: a very interesting experience.

Country name

Republic of Panama

Area

30420 square miles

Population

close to 3 million people

Capital

Panama City with over 610000 people

Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (65%)- African descent (14%)- Spanish descent (10% white) - Mulatto (5%)- Ameridian (6%)

Languages

Spanish (official)- English (15%)- Indian languages

Government

Democracy

Currency

Balboa

Key attraction

The Panama Canal- considered the Eight Wonder of the world

Climate

Wonderful year-round tropical climate of 80 degrees F

Seasons

Rainy (May-December) and Dry rest of year

Did you know?

Ships traveling between NY and San Francisco save 7872 miles by using the Canal instead of going around Cape Horn

Did you know?

The Atlantic entrance to the Canal is 22-1/2 miles west of the Pacific entrance

Did you know?

The lock of the Canal is 7 feet thick

Did you know?

The sun rises from the Pacific and sets in the Atlantic because of the "S" shape of the Isthmus of Panama

Did you know?

The fastest transit ever through the Canal was 2 hours and 41 minutes by the US Navy hydrofoil Pegasus in 1979

Did you know?

Richard Halliburton swam through the Canal on August 23 of 1928 and paid a toll of 36 cents for his 150 pounds body weight

Did you know?

The cruise ship Rhapsody of the Sea paid the highest toll in 1997 (more than $ 153K!)

Did you know?

The excavation of the Canal was equivalent to digging a 10 feet trench deep by 55 wide from NY to CA.

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