"They should have some in stock there"

As I mentioned briefly last time, this season (2021) in Panama, due to various factors, the harvest of traditional varieties in particular was said to be less than in normal years, and we struggled to secure coffee varieties "other than Geisha" right from the start of purchasing.

Speaking of the effects of abnormal weather, for example, several farms were damaged by the heavy rain caused by a hurricane that unexpectedly approached Panama the previous year.

The areas that suffered from landslides and heavy rain damage were mostly at the foothills. In terms of coffee varieties, there was more damage in the lower regions where traditional varieties are grown. In other words, the impact was less on varieties centered around Geisha, which are grown at higher elevations.

Unlike Geisha, which has strong demand from overseas, other varieties such as Catuai, Caturra, and Typica are mostly consumed within Panama. These already scarce traditional varieties had already been consumed domestically, and as a result, contrary to what's normally the case, we couldn't secure enough non-Geisha varieties. This led to the unexpected situation where we had to go around asking each farm about their past crop stock.

In normal years, we could confidently assume that supplies would eventually become available, but this time we were genuinely concerned. We realized we needed to gather whatever was available, so we started inquiring at each farm.

While this was happening, the Best of Panama judging was approaching, and as farms became busier, several farm owners shared the phrase you see at the beginning: "They should have some stock there," pointing us to a particular farm.

That farm's name was Garrido.

(※The "rr" is pronounced with the Spanish rolled R. If you struggle with it like I do, try saying "garuriido" quickly.)

This was a farm we hadn't imported from before, but regarding traditional varieties, their Caturra (despite being a Caturra) won the Traditional category of BoP 2020 with a standout score of 91 points. Moreover, this lot called MOKKITA was selling at tens of thousands of yen per kg (more expensive than any Geisha!!).

The farm's representative, José David Garrido, was serving as head judge for BoP 2021 this year. During the busy period of organizing and preparing lots gathered from various farms, he took time between his work to respond to our stock inquiry.

As a result, we learned that Typica and Heirloom from the same "MAMA CATA" farm as the aforementioned MOKKITA were still available, so we secured them without hesitation.

MAMA CATA is one of four farms operated by the Garrido family, who have been running coffee farms in this region of Panama for a long time.

Furthermore, we learned that the rumored MOKKITA was also ready, so we ordered a small amount, adding this bonus to what would be Japan's first import from this farm. (That MOKKITA went on to win Best of Panama again this year with a record-breaking 92 points.)

This fortunate encounter was possible precisely because of the extraordinary circumstances. Through the good connections among Panama's friendly farm owners, we were able to meet a new person, a new farm, new stories, and wonderful lots. This was our greatest "harvest" of all.

The Garrido farm lineup consists of the following two varieties:

​□ Garrido's MAMA CATA Typica, Washed

​□ Garrido's MAMA CATA Heirloom, Washed

We look forward to your inquiries about stock.

In the next article, we will continue to introduce more of this year's Typica.

Stay tuned.