Manor Elida, Panama

Elida Manor is located in the Pokuit producing area of Chiriki Province, the western border province of Panama. The most famous landmark and tourist attraction of the province is the Baru volcano, which is 3300 meters above sea level. Baru volcano is one of the highest volcanoes in Central America, with a total area of about 14000 hectares. It can be divided into seven different microclimate zones according to altitude, within which there are many rare plants, birds and mammals. The Pokuit region is located on the eastern side of Mount Baru, a valley of lava flowing through Panama, next to another well-known coffee producing area in Panama, the Vulcan Valley (Volcan Valley).

Pokuit has always been the most high-profile coffee producing area in Panama, and there are many famous estates in the region-such as Esmeralda, which is famous for the Geisha variety World War I, Hartman, Mama Cata, Kotowa and Santa Teresa, which are always victorious by Best of Panama. Alida Manor itself is also a heavyweight star manor in Pokuit-has won Best of Panama awards for the past five years in a row, second only to Jade Manor. Elida Manor has a total area of 65 hectares, more than half of which are located within the Baru Volcano National Park, 30 hectares of the estate are planted with coffee trees, and the remaining 35 hectares are virgin forests. Coffee is grown from 1670 to 1850 meters above sea level, making it one of the two highest coffee farms in Panama (the other estate with these elevations should be Carmen in the Vulcan Valley). At such a high altitude, the low temperature delayed the ripening of the coffee berries, about a month later than the normal ripening period, while the fertile volcanic soil provided sufficient nutrients for the coffee, coupled with the excellent microclimate brought by the Baru volcano, Elida Manor was able to achieve good results in cup test competitions. In addition to creating good coffee cultivation conditions, the Lamastus family, which runs the Elida estate, has also planted many different native tree species on the estate, not only to shade the coffee trees, but also to provide a friendly habitat for birds. In terms of fertilization, the Lamastus family uses artificial fertilization and a small amount of chemical fertilizers, but never uses pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to the environment. At present, in addition to Catuai, Typica and Bourbon, the Lamastus family also began to plant Geisha varieties a few years ago. In spite of this, Elida Manor used Catuai in all the batches of the Best of Panama competition, but achieved good results again and again, which shows the excellent quality and special flavor of coffee brought by its geographical environment and excellent postharvest treatment technology.