Tag: Panama
Ron Abuelo 7 Años
Rum is a spirit that most often leaves me feeling a bit let down. I usually have high hopes for them, and they only rarely deliver. I suppose the idea of rum simply intrigues more than the actual rums themselves. The Ron Santa Teresa 1796 was one that I was very pleasantly surprised by, and I’ve found others over time that have been enjoyable if not impressive. The Ron Abuelo joins company with the Santa Teresa, as one of the few that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed as a sipping rum.
Varela Hermanos, distillers of Ron Abuelo, was founded in Pesé, Panama as a sugar cane mill in 1908 by Don Jose Varela Blanco, and began distilling from their own sugar cane juice in 1936. The Ron Abuelo 7 Años brings together two different methods of rum-making. During the winter season (December through April), sugar cane juice is fermented and distilled, whereas in the warm, summer season, they use a blend of sugar cane juice and molasses. Both distillates are aged in used bourbon barrels for 7 years before bottling.
This rum struck me straightaway as different from others that I’ve tasted. Up until now, I’d only tasted molasses-based rums, and had always wanted to taste a 100% sugar cane-based rum. Even though this rum doesn’t use 100% sugar cane, there’s no doubting its increased complexity relative to the molasses-based rums that I’ve tasted. It leads me to once again want to track down a Rhum Agricole from Martinique, a Neisson or Clement for instance, all of which are governed by AOC laws stipulating the use of 100% sugar cane, along with specific aging periods and associated designations.
Tasting Notes
The color of this rum is crimson gold, with surprisingly long legs for having been bottled at 40%. The rich, complex nose has notes of bittersweet orange peel, green banana, mint, custard, and burnt sugar. The palate is lithely textured, with warm, sweet flavors of creme brûlée, crystallized orange peel, maple syrup, and ripe banana. The lengthy finish ends on a trill of nutty sweetness and subtle fruit flavors.
This is a nicely put-together rum, conveying both complexity and pleasant drinking with each sip. While not being as complex or expressive as a good scotch, this is definitely approaching the level of complexity that a good bourbon can convey. I’d certainly recommend it if you enjoy nice rums, especially given that it is a real bargain in light of its quality.
Related Posts:
Terroir Coffee Co. Panama La Esmeralda Baru Lot 2010
Panama La Esmeralda. No other words in the world of coffee convey as much excitement or allure as these. Since it first took the coffee world by storm in 2004, the renown of the La Esmeralda coffee has steadily grown, and today it easily generates more excitement than any other coffee out there.
The farm was founded by Daniel and Price Peterson in the Boquete region of Panama, and for many years functioned as most coffee farms do – blending its various coffee varietals. But in 2004, the Petersons decided to take an alternate course, and separated out the Geisha varietal to submit to the annual Panama coffee competition. That year their coffee won the Best of Panama, and essentially the rest is history. They’ve since increased the number of acres devoted to the Geisha varietal, and continue to win awards.
This particular lot of coffee is from trees planted only four years ago in the Canas Verdes region. According to Terroir, this growing area, situated on the south-facing slopes of Volcan Baru at an altitude of 4900-5400 meters, has a notably different microclimate than the areas where Esmeralda grows the rest of their Geisha coffee, with more sun and less rain throughout the year.
Prior to tasting this coffee, I’d had the chance to try an Esmeralda coffee roasted by Portland roaster Public Domain. It was a good coffee, but one that I found difficult to think about objectively. I’d read and heard too much about Esmeralda before being able to actually drink it. So while I enjoyed the cup, my expectations were totally out of whack.
I’m really glad I had that cup of Esmeralda, because it paved the way for me to be able to fully appreciate this batch from Terroir (it’s also worth noting that the two coffees were not from the same lot). I was also totally excited to be able to brew this using our new Kone+Chemex combo from Coava Coffee, as I’m fully convinced that this is the optimal way of brewing up more delicate coffees such as Esmeralda.
So 26 grams of finely ground (#12) Esmeralda, 400 grams of boiled water, Kone, and Chemex, later, I sat down and thoroughly enjoyed a cup of Panama La Esmeralda.
Tasting Notes
The aroma has notes of orange peel, apricot marmalade, and cinnamon. The palate has a soft texture, with just enough brightening acidity to keep things interesting. Flavors of almonds, lemon, orange, apricot, and white wine – lots of complex layers of fruit that gradually unfold as the coffee cools. The finish winds down with notes of fruits and a white wine.
All in a all, a very complex, delicate coffee. I found that the brewing and temperature I was drinking it at was critical for really getting the most out of this coffee. French press was too coarse, and the flavors weren’t bright enough or as well-defined as when brewed with the Kone+Chemex. And even with the Kone+Chemex, a difference of 4-5 grams of coffee produced a notably different cup. In any of these cases, the coffee was splendid, but it really peaked when I got the amounts, grind, and method down right.
No doubt, if you love coffee, you owe it to yourself to try La Esmeralda at some point. In some sense, I suppose this may be like saying if you love Sauternes, you owe it to yourself to try Chateau d’Yquem. But then, Chateau d’Yquem is several hundred dollars a bottle, whereas La Esmeralda is a much more reasonable indulgence!
Related Posts:
Barrington Coffee Panama Boquete “La Berlina” 2008
While I may gripe at times about Barrington Coffee and the lack of information they make available about their coffees, the fact is that the coffees they are offering (and that I’ve had the chance to try) are proving to be consistently very good. I have not yet had a coffee from them that I felt blasé about. The coffees have all been quite good, if not downright very good.
And this coffee in particular is one that runs counter to some of my points of disappointment with Barrington. Whereas most of their coffees are packaged as anonymous Mexican, Indian Mysore, or what have you, this is one of their Limited Edition coffees. All of the Limited Edition coffees are packaged with a small sticker indicating the origin information for the coffee in question. In this case, this coffee is from the Boquete region of Panama, and is labeled with the name of the farm that the beans come from, La Berlina, and the vintage the beans were harvested in, 2008. Their packaging still lacks the roast-date of the coffee which I find disappointing, but I guess you can’t get everything that you want.
Boquete is located in north-western Panama, approaching the border of Costa Rica. The general consensus is that the best coffees coming out of Panama now are all grown in this region, and this is where many of the high-profile Geisha varietal coffees – most notably the Hacienda La Esmerelda coffees – are grown. The La Berlina farm is owned by the Ruiz family and is situated at 4200 feet above sea level. It comprises about 55 acres, all of which are planted to the Typica varietal. The beans are wet-processed and then sun-dried.
This is a fairly light roast. Barrington’s website indicates that this it is their City roast. As I mentioned, there is no roast date on the package, and since I picked this up in a shop I have no idea how long ago it was roasted.
The nose is sweet with maple syrup and brown sugar, accompanied by a bit of cedar, clove, and allspice. The palate is flush with bright acidity. It is dry and oaky at first, with the sweetness beginning to come out as the coffee cools. Lots of citrus flavors, with oranges and lemons predominant, alongside some dusty, red pepper spices. The finish begins with very bright acidity and gradually transitions to citrus-tinged sweet caramel. This is a good, pleasant coffee to drink. It had lots of bright, citrusy acidity that really opened up and developed as the coffee cooled. My palate is really only just becoming attuned to lighter-roasted, more acidic coffees, and I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
I am increasingly finding that South American coffees tend to be brighter, more acidic coffees, while African coffees tend to be more full-bodied and sweet. This is, of course, greatly influenced by the roast and the way the coffee has been handled post-harvesting, but there is definitely a pattern that is beginning to take shape in the coffees that I’ve tasted, and in how roasters are treating the beans from these two different, broadly-defined regions. As I continue to ponder the relationship between terroir and coffee, I feel that I’m slowly building up enough of a base of coffees that I’ve tasted to be able to discern patterns such as these.
So here’s an interesting question. In the event that there are traditional methods for post-harvest processing (e.g. wet vs. dry processing being more common in some areas than others), can this be considered part of the region’s terroir? My initial inclination is to say no. That terroir should be what would come through from the bean, regardless of how it were processed. That terroir would be that trace element that remained consistent in the bean. But, something to ponder…
Related Posts: