Finca Deborah - Nirvana

MEET THE PRODUCER | Over a decade ago, Jamison Savage left the United States and his career in finance to pursue specialty coffee production in the Panamanian forest. That genuine leap of faith has certainly paid off, due in large part to Jamison's relentless pursuit of excellence and insistence on innovation. Since 2016, coffees from Finca Deborah have featured prominently on the World Barista stage, with all three of the top spots this year going to competitors who used one of Jamison's coffees - and this coffee in particular took second. Today, Jamison is considered one of the most prolific coffee producers in the world - and one sip of this uniquely processed Gesha lot will likely have you nodding your head in quiet agreement.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL | Finca Deborah sits at 1900 meters above sea level, making it one of the highest-altitude farms in the Volcán region of Panama. The Gesha trees grown here seamlessly integrate into the surrounding cloud forest. The ecosystem has a consistently high humidity while temperatures at night can cool dramatically. These lower temperatures slow the maturation of the coffee cherry and drive more sugars out of the tree and into the cherry, making for a more complex and sweet cup. The farming operation coexists with this ecosystem by not applying any pesticides or other chemicals which could interrupt the diverse and often rare wildlife that call the area home. Additionally, all picking is done by hand and the processing operation is powered by on-site solar energy production.

TRUST THE PROCESS | Similar to carbonic maceration, Jamison's Nirvana process utilizes gas injection into a pressurized chamber - in his case, nitrogen. After being picked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are de-pulped and then loaded into sealed stainless steel tanks. There, nitrogen is injected into the fermentation environment, which serves to intensify both aromatics and flavor in the resultant cup of coffee. The lot is then dried as a natural until optimal moisture content is achieved.

TAKE A SIP | When hot, everything about this coffee is big: big florals, big passionfruit, big red fruits, and big, vibrant acidity (like bergamot). It is most similar to red wine at this temperature, showcasing a lovely - and illusive - grape note.

As the coffee approaches a pleasantly warm temperature, it becomes more intensely floral and more tropical in character, with passionfruit and mango taking center stage. It's balanced and juicy in texture at this temperature. Fresh citrus, like bergamot, prevails.

When cool, the coffee becomes more apparently Gesha in character. The citrus intensifies and stone fruits emerge at this temperature, like fresh cherries. An abundance of berries - strawberries, raspberries, and cranberries - are present here, but the cup profile as a whole is cleaner and more tropical at this temperature than at other intervals. It's sweeter here, too, with dark honey and maple contributing to a remarkably long finish. 

The coffee makes some huge strides from hot to cold. But at every temperature, it's one of the most intensely flavorful coffees we've ever cupped that isn't a co-ferment. It's easy to see why Jack Simpson was so drawn to this coffee when choosing one for his WBC run this year - and equally unsurprising that he ended up placing second in the world while serving it.

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Origin | Volcán, Chiriqui, Panama

Producer | Jamison Savage

Farm | Finca Deborah

Process | Nirvana (Nitrogen Maceration)

Variety | Green Tip Gesha 

Elevation | 1950 masl