The Best of Good Cup Box 2023
With all the beans we’ve roasted at Good Cup, exceptional coffee can’t be merely tasty—it has to be great. Every bag of beans we pack is carefully profiled, making sure we taste these coffees ourselves before we put them out for our customers to enjoy. For us, quality assessment is both a science and an art that immerses us in a gustatory sensation. Among all the coffees we’ve cupped this year, eight lots simply stood out and wowed us.
We wanted to share that same experience with you through The Best of Good Cup Box, a collection of eight coffees we deem our favorites!
MESSAGE FROM GIO
Season’s greetings!
Thank you for supporting the first release of our Best of Good Cup box.
As a commitment to share more memorable coffee experiences with you, we have sourced these extremely high-quality and rare lots from some of the most respected farmers around the world. The coffees that you will be tasting are also a great introduction to our new roasting approach and philosophy of highlighting sweetness and aroma, making sure that the internal bean development is well developed. This brings out a more candy-focused sweetness and a fruit-like acidity while achieving a better tactile experience.
We have also found that our latest approach in roasting is leading to a higher level of extraction efficiency, allowing a more extended ratio that can even reach 1g : 17ml or 18ml if you wish to have a more complex cup with lower overall intensity. We let these beans 12 hours to degas after roasting, then vacuum-seal them with nitrogen for peak sensory enjoyment. These vacuum-packed coffees can also be stored in the freezer to preserve flavor, and they grind consistently right after thawing.
We've put a lot of love and effort into creating this box to ensure a memorable sensory experience for you. We're thrilled to share more coffees with you in the coming months, whether through our new store or another experience box. This is just the beginning.
Happy holidays!
Gio Visitacion
President, Good Cup Coffee Co
Photo courtesy of Specialty Coffee Association of Panama
LONGBOARD SPECIALTY COFFEE
About the farm: Nestled in a scenic coffee region in Boquete, Longboard Specialty Coffee harmonizes the spirit of adventure with a profound love for coffee. Founded two decades ago by a young surfer, it blends the principles of wine tasting into coffee culture. Coffee, like a surfer's "dawn patrol," combines tradition with innovation. Longboard's intimate connection to its terroir and meticulous cultivation practices result in an outstanding cup of coffee.Misty Mountain Natural Gesha MMGN30
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Natural
ORIGIN: Boquete, Panama
PRODUCER: Justin Boudeman
About the lot: Misty Mountain Gesha thrives at 1650 MASL in Panama's Boquete mountains by Longboard Specialty Coffee. Mist envelopes the farm from May to October, hence its name. This provides a cool environment for slow cherry fermentation, enhancing coffee flavors. The second half of the year features plenty of sunshine which creates great conditions for cherry ripening. The dryness drives the roots into mineral-rich Misty Mountain substrata, producing the vibrant characteristics of a Gesha.
Photo courtesy of Lamastus Family Estates
ELIDA ESTATE BY LAMASTUS FAMILY ESTATES
About the farm: Elida Estate is one of the three farms operated by Lamastus Family Estates of Boquete, Panama. It thrives in a unique ecological system where trees are shade-grown in high elevations amid a cool microclimate. Grown in altitudes of up to 6,000 ft, coffee is produced into dense, uniform beans. This results in a mild, medium-bodied coffee with excellent aroma and high acidity, considered among the world's finest. Part of the estate is an ecological reserve within the national park, a haven for birdwatching and diverse flora and fauna, including the colorful Quetzal.
Elida Estate Honey Gesha Plano Lot #290123
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Honey
ORIGIN: Boquete, Panama
PRODUCER: Lamastus Family
About the coffee: In producing this traditional honey-processed batch, perfectly ripe Panama Gesha coffee cherries were handpicked and left undisturbed through the night. The next day, they are depulped and then dried on raised beds for about 30 days.
Elida Estate Washed Gesha Loma Lot
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Washed
ORIGIN: Boquete, Panama
PRODUCER: Lamastus Family
About the coffee: This lot of Panama Geisha cherries was picked at the peak ripeness. Employing the traditional washed method, they underwent a complete fermentation process. This occurred within a temperature range of 13°C-15°C at night and 18°C-20°C during the day, extending no more than 36-48 hours. This duration allowed the mucilage to impart maximum flavor precursors to the coffee bean before de-pulping, demucilaging, and thorough washing. Then, the beans were carefully dried on raised beds for 15-20 days.
Elida Estate Anaerobic Slow Dry Gesha Torre Lot
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Anaerobic Slow Dry
ORIGIN: Boquete, Panama
PRODUCER: Lamastus Family
About the coffee: With the Anaerobic Slow Dry process (or ASD), freshly picked coffee cherries are immediately placed in an airtight container. These cherries rest untouched for 5 days, after which they are carefully opened and sorted. In contrast to conventional washed and natural methods, ASD entails an extended drying period in an unconventional setting. This particular batch undergoes an extended 40-day drying period in the higher elevations of the farm until it reaches the optimal moisture level. This distinctive process yields coffees imbued with unique and intensified coffee cherry flavors.
Photo courtesy of Specialty Coffee Association of Panama
MI FINQUITA BY FINCA DE HARTMANN
About the farm: Mi Finquita is a project founded by couple Ratibor (of Finca de Hartmann) and Tessie Hartmann. “Mi finquita” translates to “my small farm”, standing true to their name as they help independent farmers process and produce coffee collectively under the project. Leveraging their extensive network and coffee know-how, the couple collaborates with various farms primarily around Los Pozos in Panama's Chiriquí Province. Operating at altitudes between 1,650-1,900 meters, they cultivate Caturra, Bourbon, and Geisha varietals in a mild tropical climate with temperature fluctuations, offering unique and high-quality coffee beans. Aside from their exceptional coffees, the couple also has an amazing work dynamic: Tessie manages the brand's roasted coffee sales while Ratibor supervises production at Hartmann Estate.
Hartman Great Reserve Mi Finquita Gesha
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Washed
ORIGIN: Chiriquí Province, Panama
PRODUCER: Hartmann Family
About the coffee: Hartmann The Great Reserve By Tessie and Ratibor is one of the couple’s latest coffee projects. Built on love, it harmoniously merges generations of heritage within the family, entwining the art of coffee with history. It's a fusion of stunning landscapes, artistic expression, and cultural richness, all set against the backdrop of the world's finest coffee. These components not only drive coffee innovation but also preserve their family heirloom.
Photo courtesy of Mikava Coffee
MIKAVA ESTATES
About the farm: Mikava Coffee was established in 2013 by Paul and Kevin Doyle. During the 80s, this father-and-son tandem opened a cafe and roastery in the USA but decided to pursue coffee further by acquiring a farm in Risalda, Colombia. The Doyle family experimented with a processing technique called carbonic maceration, commonly used in winemaking, to enhance the complexity, sweetness, and floral characteristics of their coffees. Mikava Coffee’s natural carbonic maceration led them to win the 2019 Colombian Cup of Excellence.
Mikava Carbonic Maceration Natural
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Carbonic Natural
ORIGIN: Risalda, Colombia
PRODUCER: Paul & Kevin Doyle
About the coffee: This coffee is a green and bronze-tipped Gesha variety from the renowned Mikava Gesha Estates. It undergoes a meticulous natural process, involving carbonic maceration fermentation (CM), followed by gentle solar aeration drying on raised beds.
Photo courtesy of Stacey Leasca
JANSON COFFEE
About the farm: Established in 1926 by Carl Axel Janson, Janson Coffee blends a rich history with sustainable practices. Janson bought the land to open the first automated dairy farm in the country, but as years progressed, the family saw the land’s potential to become a specialty coffee plantation. In 1990, Carl's sons Michael, Carl, Ricardo, and Peter succeeded him and established Janson Coffee. They inherited their father's dedication to quality and hard work, principles that persist today as the third generation of the family leads the business.
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Experimental Process K-01
ORIGIN: Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama
PRODUCER: Kai Janson
About the coffee: A Gesha that has a cupping score of 92.5, this lot was used by Boram Um to win the 2023 World Barista Championship.
Photo courtesy of beanbros.
FINCA DEBORAH
About the farm: Finca Deborah lies in Panama’s Volcan region. Situated at an altitude of 1900+ meters, it's among the country’s most remote coffee farms where electricity is unavailable, so they improvised by establishing their own solar-powered operations. Jamison Savage has engineered an eco-conscious coffee processing facility at this high-altitude, isolated farm. Pesticides are eschewed, and a harmonious ecosystem powered by solar energy surrounds the coffee trees. This holistic, sustainable approach distinguishes Finca Deborah as an exceptional high-end coffee producer.
Finca Deborah Gesha Nirvana
VARIETAL: Gesha
PROCESS: Nitrogen Maceration Natural
ORIGIN: Volcán, Chiriquí, Panama
PRODUCER: Jamison Savage
About the coffee: The Panama Finca Deborah Nirvana is a nitrogen-macerated natural Geisha. This process harvests nearly overripe cherries and then seals them into a stainless steel tank with nitrogen. PH and a cool temperature are maintained to extract the perfect flavor profile. The macerated cherries are then placed in shaded raised beds for drying until ready.
There you have it! Our finest coffees of the year: all in one box. The beans featured here are handpicked by our team in terms of quality, flavor, and uniqueness. Each lot provides an incredible taste experience as well as farmer and terroir history, and we hope you get to enjoy them as much as we loved curating them for you. See you next year for the second Best of Good Cup box!
