Kaffees

Fragrance:Maturefruits, berries, chocolate and milky caramel nuts and almonds.

Aroma:Great combination of redfruits, strawberries and raspberries, with a base of sweet chocolate, almonds and nuts.

Flavour:Very clean cup, smooth as butter in your mouth and has a great combination of mature fruits like peach, apricot, honeymelon and berries from the forest (blackberry, blueberry and boysenberries), milky chocolate undernotes. The acidity is well balanced, crispy and stays balanced at all time.

Location:
Carmen Estate is located in the Valley heights of Paso Ancho. It has an altitude of 1,750 to 2,000 meters. These mountains are an excellent area for developing shade grown coffee at the micro-region of “Volcán Barú”. Its volcanic soil, rich in organic material and sandy earth has a great drainage and is ideal for growing Arabica coffee. The cool frost-free tropical nights and sunny days create the optimum conditions for the growth of coffee trees.

History:
In 1960 Efrain and Carmen Franceschi began cultivating Arabica coffee in their farm. Franceschi family has been involved in agriculture for over 40 years in the center of the Baru Volcano region in the Republic of Panama. Now Carmen Estate Coffee Inc., a company owned by the Aguilera-Franceschi family has continued the family tradition of cultivating Arabica coffee in the land of their fathers. The premium quality coffee produced by Finca Carmen is a reflection of pride and dedication of the family to maintain its prestige, consolidated in 2003 by obtaining at that time a certification that verifies it as an ecological coffee of the program Rainforest Alliance. From that time, Carmen Estate has received the following awards:

1. Third place - Best of Panama 2010.US$ 16.00 per pound.
2. Third place in 2003, 2005 and 2006 during the competition “Best of Panama” sponsored by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama.
3. First place with the highest score (90.75) in the competition “Cupping for Quality 2005” organized by Rainforest Alliance during SCAA.
4. During the internet auction organized in 2005 by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), Carmen Estate was the second coffee best paid.
5. Second Place with a score of 88.00 in the competition “Cupping for Quality” organized by Rainforest Alliance in 2006 during the SCAA.
6. During the internet auction organized in the Specialty Coffee Association of America in 2006, Carmen Estate was the second best paid.

Culture:
People working in the company are concerned about their health and welfare, as well as family and coworkers for the conservation of the environment and because their hardworking effort will be the result of a premium organic coffee.

Harvesting:
Each year, our coffee cherries are manually harvested by Nobes indigenous people during the dry weather season from late December to the end of March. When the coffee cherries are ripe -bright red-, they are selective picked by hand, leaving behind the unripe beans to be harvested at a later time.

Processing:
Every day, once picked, our bright red coffee cherries are transported from the field to the mill - Beneficio - to be processed immediately. Special machinery washes away the skin, pulp and mucilage from the parchment covering in an eco-friendly fashion. Instead of throwing these residues to the natural waters sources where it may harm the environment, these residues are recycled and processed as a organic fertilizers to be use back in our farm. The parchment beans are pre-dried by sunlight and breeze out in a patio. Next, the drying process is perfectly completed by a mechanical dryer - Guardiola - type. After the parchment beans are slowly, gently and perfectly dried, we packed them in individual 100 pound yute bags. These bags are carefully classified and enumerated by lots. Then they are stored in a wood warehouse - bodega - for at least 60 days for a resting period, keeping them away from humidity. After this resting period, special machinery is used to remove the layers and the parchment from the green beans. At this point, the beans are graded and sorted, first by size (17 screen) and finally by density separating the lighter beans from heavier ones. Finally the beans are packed and ready to be loaded into containers to be export to USA, Europe and/or Japan.

Our Commitment to Quality:
To ensure the highest quality of coffee produced in Carmen Estate. Its workers select the best cherries in their well-tended trees. The coffee is harvested by hand, selected and passes by a ecological mill so that it is free of defects affecting its flavor. This commitment to quality is also related to the environmental conservation of soil and water, the welfare of the workers and a good relationship with neighbors and the community. For all the above, buyers receive an excellent product.

Environmental Politics:
As previously mentioned, Carmen Estate Coffee, Inc. has been certified as a farm that produces 100% organic coffee since 2003 by the Rainforest Alliance. This certification is supported by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (Conservation Agriculture Network). The certification program “is based on the science of ecology, the principles of human dignity and the ideal of sustainable development”.
These principles, which has been endorsed by Carmen Estate are the following:
Ecosystem Conservation. Wildlife Conservation. Fair treatment and good working conditions for their workers. Good and beneficial relationships with the community. Appropriate Plan for pest management in coffee. Appropriate Plan for waste management. Conservation of water sources. Soil Conservation. Establishment of a social and ecological plan and monitoring of both plans.

Winning Bidder: Kaffitar (Iceland), Åre Kafferosteri (Sweden), Caffè Cataldi (France), Sviezia kava (Lithuania), Da Matteo Torrefazione (Sweden) and Kaffee Alchemie (+die Rösterin, Austria + Erste Tegernseer Kaffeerösterei, Germany)

zertifiziert von „Rainforest Alliance“

Varietät:                 Caturra und Castillo

Aufbereitung:          gewaschen

Erntemethode:        hand-picking

Anbauhöhe:            1.350 - 1.750 Meter

Plantagengröße:      850 ha

Niederschlag:          1.750 bis 2.300 mm pro Jahr

Temperaturen:       18 bis 25°C

Erntezeit:               Oktober bis Dezember

Tassenprofil: Sein voller Körper, seine intensive Süße mit komplexen Aromen von Karamell bis Schokolade mit einem Hauch süßer Früchte, machen diesen säurearmen Kaffee zu einer absoluten Spezialität. Kolumbien Kachalù ist einer der besten von der “Rainforest Alliance” zertifizierten Kaffees der Welt.