Don Pepe Java – Panama

In the cup, expect pineapple and mango, berries, and a floral jasmine note, over a wine-like character. The acidity is bright and clean, the body medium and syrupy, and the sweetness medium to high. This lot from the 2025 harvest is rated 88+ points by our green coffee supplier.

Don Pepe Estate is a family farm that has cultivated coffee since 1898 in Volcancito, Boquete, on the slopes of Barú Volcano. It describes itself as Panama’s first company dedicated to coffee. The farm covers 70 hectares: 59 under coffee and 11 set aside as a nature reserve. The soil is volcanic, the average temperature is around 21 °C, and annual rainfall reaches approximately 2,950 mm. Antonio “Don Tony” Vásquez (1952–2016) took the farm’s coffee beyond Panama’s borders; he said he would not stop until he brought it to other continents. In 2015, an espresso made with the farm’s Geisha, roasted in California, received 96 points from Coffee Review and ranked sixth in its annual list.

Java was long thought to be a selection of Typica. According to World Coffee Research, genetic analyses show that it is a selection from an Ethiopian population called Abyssinia. It passed through the island of Java, which gave it its name, and then through Cameroon and Costa Rica. They also note that Panama was the first country in Central America to officially recognize it, in 2016. It has large beans, shows its potential at high elevations, and World Coffee Research describes it as an interesting alternative to Geisha.

Each variety is grown, harvested, and processed separately as a pure lot. The coffee is dried on raised African beds and stored by variety and harvest date; after resting in the cellar, sorting begins.

Anaerobic Natural means fermentation takes place in an environment with limited or no oxygen, after which the coffee is dried as a whole cherry.

We roast it to keep the tropical fruit and sweetness clear and let the producer’s work come through in the cup.