Now that the 2009 Panama Esmeralda auction is officially closed and the money is laid out on the table, here's a short list of the highest bidders.
- Reserva de la Señora: $117.50/lb. ($105.25 was last years highest bid.)
- Caballeriza: $28.50 / lb.
- Carnaval: $40.50 / lb.
- San José: $30.00/lb.
- Pascua: $27.00/lb.
- Naranjo: $24.00/lb.
- Colgá: $25.00/lb.
After receiving this year's Esmeralda auction samples earlier last week, sample roasting each lot and letting them rest for 24 hours, we did a blind cupping. Now that the Esmeralda auction is closed, we can give you the details on each sample we cupped. 16 lucky people showed for the cupping and this is Batdorf & Bronson's® overall feed back regarding the cup characteristics of each lot.
Reserva de la Senora A sweet carmely cup with a soft acidity and hints of butter and lemon. Very nice impressions of tropical punch flavor and super sweet.
Caballeriza A balanced cup with a heavy body and a sour cherry sweetness. Nicely acidic, beautifully bright pointed acidity coupled with the deep red fruit flavors.
Los Mario Candy Chemicals, necco wafer. Good clean fruity character with some unexpected Baru-ish Panama flavors – graham cracker and chocolate.
Mario San Jose Sweet BBQ sauce, rosemary, savory, ginger, rosehips. Very bright.
Mario Pascua Honey-like body, tropical fruit, good definition in acidity and body. Flowery and sweet. Excellent.
Naranjo Heavy spice with hints of licorice and fennel. Bright yet balanced, traces of sandalwood among the tart tropical fruity flavors.
Colga Buttery caramel, peanut skin, malty and sweet milk chocolate. Fruity tea-like influences, bergamot. In general all of these lots were exceptional, though that should come as no surprise as we’ve come to expect great things from the Esmeralda coffees. We liked the traditional Los Mario coffees very much, they were full of juicy fruit punch and hibiscus flavors and were truly as sweet as candy. We appreciated the addition of soft spice that the Naranjo offered, and we were very impressed with the Reserva de la Senora, with its nice balance and wonderful complexity. The Caballeriza was yet another standout: lovely intense flavors of red fruit – strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, all elegantly balanced with a heavy body. Expect to see our lot of the Caballeriza roasting later this year!