PANAMA - LOST ORIGIN x LA ESTRELLA — MARAGOGYPE
Tasting notes | Pomelo, Nectarine, Floral, Crisp Apple, Caramel finish
The Maragogype variety is commercially rare by necessity — its trees typically yield up to 25% less than other varieties, given the large bean size, which has led many farmers to replace it with higher-volume cultivars. Finding it from a generational farm like La Estrella, processed with this level of scientific precision, is genuinely uncommon.
PRODUCER | Rios Saraceni family
FARM| Finca La Estrella
REGION | Alto Quiel, Boquete
PROCESS | Proprietary
ELEVATION | 1600 m.a.s.l
VARIETY | MARAGOGYPE
Some coffees arrive with credentials. This one arrives with a story that spans a century of farming, a craft beer lab in the heart of Panama City, and one of the rarest bean varieties in the world.
The Maragogype — known across the industry as the "elephant bean" — is a natural mutation of the Typica variety, first discovered in Brazil in 1870. Its beans grow up to 1.5 times larger than standard Arabica, while delivering a surprisingly delicate and complex flavor profile. Because of its low yields and susceptibility to coffee leaf rust, many farmers have chosen to abandon it in favor of higher-output varieties which makes any lot of Maragogype a commitment, and a good one rare.
This particular lot comes from Finca La Estrella, a 7-hectare farm in Alto Quiel, Boquete, managed by the Rios Saraceni family since its founding in 1914. The farm's legacy began with Antonio Saraceni, an Italian immigrant who brought viticulture expertise to the volcanic soils of western Panama. Over a century later, it remains one of the most respected growing estates in the region.
