Barú Panorama

Jose Luttrell is the founder of Abu Coffee. He was already successful as an engineer, usually in the city and traveling overseas for work, when his father took him to revisit their family’s farmlands in Boquete. This sparked his interest in specialty coffee which, in time, grew into a passion. It was after his father passed away that Jose took a deep dive into producing specialty coffee and when Abu Coffee was established. Abu (short for abuelo) was the affectionate nickname Jose’s children had for their grandfather. By producing distinct and excellent coffees that could not have been grown elsewhere, and sharing them with the world, they keep his memory, and his love for coffee and Boquete alive,

Abu Coffee started to become known when they won 6th place in the Geisha Washed category at the 2017 Best of Panama Competition. Their Geishas have been winning yearly at the BoP from then on. In 2021, Catuai lots they produced were also awarded in the Varietal Natural and Varietal Washed categories. These consecutive BoP wins are recognized as a particularly noteworthy achievement because Abu Coffee has been in operation for less than a decade, and is much younger than most of the other producers in the region.

Abu Coffee is situated in Cañas Verdes, Boquete, which benefits from a tropical forest microclimate. The coffee trees are cultivated at an average elevation of 1,550 MASL on the inclines of the Volcán Barú National Park, where the rich biodiversity is well-protected. Soils are fertile, deep, well-draining, and of volcanic origin.

There is a good balance of shade from native trees, and sunlight due to the estate’s location. There is also the right amount of moisture from a light tropical mist in the daytime and denser fog at dusk. These conditions help the cherries’ maturation process, such that sugars intensify and enrich the beans’ flavor.ABU COFFEE is a variety of Geisha coffee grown in the Cañas Verdes region, Boquete, in a humid and rainy microclimate typical of the tropical forest. The coffee farms are cultivated on the slopes of the Barú Volcano National Park on fertile, deep soils of volcanic origin, rich in organic content and excellent drainage, minimizing erosion.

The average altitude is 1550 meters above sea level. The shade that protects the farm is given by native trees that grow in harmony with the abundant local flora and fauna, respecting the environment and biodiversity. Given its strategic geographic location, sunlight is a key element in the entire process. The farm receives powerful solar radiation, interrupted in the mornings and sunsets by a soft tropical mist known locally as Bajareque and caressed by a thick fog.

As a result, the cherries develop their full potential and intensify the sugars optimally, enriching the flavor of the grain.

The virgin forests in which the ABU COFFEE farm are located make their climate an extraordinary condition to achieve a unique combination of characteristics that make our Geisha Coffee a distinctive specialty coffee with body and personality, with an intense juicy flavor and floral notes aromatic.

Credit: Goldkind