When people talk about Geisha, many think of Panama Geisha, famous for its delicate floral, jasmine and peach-like aromas. In fact, the Geisha variety first arrived in Panama back in the 20th century, but because the plant is rather fragile, farmers did not favor it and it was not widely planted. It was not until Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered the characteristics of Geisha that it entered the Geisha variety in the 2005 Best of Panama (BOP) competition and auction, taking first place with an outstanding score and making the Geisha variety famous in the coffee world.

Later, Geisha began to be widely planted in Panama, and thus many well-known estates were born in Panama's three major coffee regions: Boquete, Volcan-Candela and Renacimiento. When people mention Panama's well-known estates, many may think of Hacienda La Esmeralda, Elida Estate, Janson Estate and others, but there are in fact quite a few long-established famous estates as well, such as Finca Hartmann.

Finca Hartmann is named after the Hartmann family and was founded by Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann). This estate owner's life was rather turbulent: he was born in Czechia in 1891, but at the time of World War I, his two older brothers died one after another on the battlefield, so his mother hid Hartmann in a ship's cabin and took him to the United States. Then, in 1911, when Hartmann was 20 years old, he traveled with a friend to Chiriquí Province in Panama, and decided to settle there. In 1912 he established the estate in the primary forest of Volcan-Candela and began growing coffee.

He later married his wife and had Hartmann Troetsch; then, starting in 1940, Troetsch inherited his father's farmland and began taking over the work. Today it is inherited by the third generation, Hartmann Ratibor, who together with his 5 brothers separately handles different affairs on the estate, and the whole family jointly runs Finca Hartmann. Given its long history, Finca Hartmann can be said to be a pioneer of the Volcan-Candela region.

Volcan-Candela is located in Chiriquí Province in western Panama and, like the Boquete region, surrounds the country's famous Chiriquí Volcano (also known as Volcán Baru), and likewise has fertile soil brought by the volcanic ash.

In addition, the Volcan region has the northern mountain range as a barrier, making it difficult for moisture from the Atlantic to reach it, so the area is relatively dry, but it has abundant rainfall, with an annual rainfall of about 3500 mm, and is close to La Amistad International Park, with large tracts of tropical rainforest that create an excellent microclimate. Coffee is mainly grown at elevations of 1500-2300 m.

Hacienda Hartmann places great emphasis on protecting the primeval forest, following the principle of not clearing land by cutting trees. Currently, coffee cultivation covers only about 20% of the estate, and the coffee is grown under shade trees, with fully organic cultivation throughout. Thanks to forest protection, the estate is home to a considerable number of native birds, and the most famous local bird, the toucan, has also become the estate's standard logo.

In addition, Hacienda Hartmann has published two books and several papers on the themes of bird-friendly and shade-grown cultivation. Hacienda Hartmann has a very professionally equipped laboratory and sample roastery, cupping every batch of coffee with a rigorous attitude and strict standards to ensure the estate's coffee quality remains consistent and to drive improvement. That is why Hacienda Hartmann and the estates under it can appear on the BOP list year after year.

Currently, Hacienda Hartmann includes Ojo de Agua, Manantial, Finca Momoto, Mi Finquita, Rocky Mountain Coffee (RMC), and Guarumo Coffee Farm, and it grows a very wide range of varieties, including Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Pacamara, Maragogipe, Geisha and more.

FrontStreet Coffee would of course also get its hands on coffee produced by an estate with such a long history, choosing the anaerobically natural-processed Geisha coffee beans from Hacienda Hartmann, roasted to a medium-light level. After brewing, white floral aromas can be smelled, and on the palate there is a layered and varied fruit acidity, with notes of bergamot, pineapple and blueberry; the mouthfeel is silky and soft like Earl Grey tea, with a lasting sweet aftertaste.

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