Sometime things just fall into place…as was our experience on the last day in Boquete. One grower, who’s coffee we’ve been selling for years, was on our list but we had yet to connect. Casa Ruiz holds a rather historic place in our business; not only as a mainstay in our coffee lineup from day one, but also acting as somewhat of a visual achievement of success for us. A framed coffee bag was given by Kohana Coffee staff to Victoria Lynden (owner of Kohana Coffee) – she helped roast the inaugural beans that came from that bag - and it just happened to be the Casa Ruiz Panamaria and is located on the wall of her office.
We tried to set a meeting with Casa Ruiz – which wasn’t so easy. They are busy people producing award winning coffees. Because we couldn’t imagine going back to Austin without meeting; we basically showed up at their doorstep. Actually, we started off at Cafe Ruiz which happens to be one of the best coffee houses in Panama. Through great internal efforts the Casa Ruiz brand has expanded straight to the consumer by perfecting brew techniques and using top of the line equipment. I had a Pacamara pour over that stayed in my dreams that night. All I could think about the next day was getting back there to duplicate the experience. Before leaving we stopped by the office to ask if it was possible to talk with anyone about purchasing green coffee. After a small wait Dr. Maria Ruizwalked out.
Because I have a yen for the behind the scenes of businesses, my research had taken me to the history of this family and their path to greatness. Specifically, I was fascinated by Dr. Ruiz’s journey and the acclaim she had received along the way. I couldn’t believe our great fortune in having her accross the table. We spoke for a while about what Kohana was looking for and then moved to the cupping lab. La Berlina Organico, a Catuai, the Pacamara, a Cerro Horqueta micro lot, a non-estate Berlina and a Ruiz profile coffee were on the table. Cupping these coffees was an exceptional experience to put it lightly. Dr. Ruiz is a rare person in our coffee industry – she ‘shapes’ things – and we admire that about her.
Since we’ve been back our attention has been on the roasted sample coffee’s we carried home that we’re currently cupping. Those samples are; both La Berlina’s (conventional and organic) as well as the Caminos del Zuto Pacamara. I carry them with me wherever I go (for safekeeping, of course). La Berlina Organico – wow. When grinding this coffee today a waft of cinnamon came up…cinnamon??! There’s just so much to it – so many layers. We’ve decided that our favorite coffees do have just this; a part ‘A’, a part ‘B’, a part ‘C’, etc. Similar to a symphony of sorts in your mouth – the pieces unravel before you. It’s the type of coffee that stays in your mind as a reference point. This can be a good and/or bad thing. Coffee snobbery – ‘yeh yeh’ in Panamanian terms – can be a lonely place in a location where there are no good coffees. Fortunately, the Western Highlands of Panama is not in that category.
We look forward to future business with Dr. Ruiz. Her family’s continued quest for distinction in coffees of highest quality is worthy of all our attention. We love to see the unending search for excellence in all parts of her business. It’s fascinating, really.
