Blind Assessment: Spice-toned, richly sweet. Raspberry, dark chocolate, hazelnut, gardenia, bergamot in aroma and cup. Sweet, fruit-forward structure; full, satiny mouthfeel. The resonant, flavor-saturated finish is characterized by notes of rich chocolate with berry and bittersweet citrus complications.

Notes: This coffee tied for the third-highest rating in a tasting of holiday coffees for Coffee Review‘s December 2017 tasting report. Produced entirely from trees of the respected Catuai variety of Arabica. The Lamastus family’s Elida Estate averages the highest growing elevations in Panama: 5,500 to 8,200 feet (1,700 to 2,500 meters). This is a “natural” or dry-processed coffee, meaning the beans were dried inside the fruit, encouraging a flavor profile that is sweeter and deeper-toned than the more familiar wet-processed coffees of Panama. Founded in 1995, Equator Coffees & Teas is a women-owned wholesale coffee roasting company that focuses on sustainability in coffee-sourcing and business practices. Visit www.equatorcoffees.com or call 800-809-7687 for more information.

The Bottom Line: An elegant, richly sweet natural-processed Panama Gesha with berry and chocolate notes throughout.