VISITING DAMARLI ESTATE AND LEARNING ABOUT COFFEE IN PANAMA

Boquete area is famous for its coffee plantations. The climate and the volcanic soil are perfect for growing coffee.

The Damarli coffee estate can be reached only with a 4x4 vehicle, as it is hidden on the slopes of Boquete mountains, in Panama.

Before getting here, I did not know much about coffee, about the way it was grown, processed or how the coffee grains actually looked like.

During the visit I learnt that all the coffee beans are hand picked. The ripe coffee cherries are carefully hand processed and evaluated by the owners David Pech and Keith Pech to create exquisite and outstanding coffees which are being sold all over the world.

Here are some of the photos I took while walking on the plantation.

The guided tour of the plantation was fascinating. We had the pleasure to have David Pech, the owner, as our guide and he went into detail about every single step involved in the process.

This was an unique tour and included tasting and hands-on experience.

Unfortunately some of the photos from this trip got lost.

Here we were walking towards the area where the coffee grains were dried on huge tables covered by rainproof sheets, enabling ventilation. Throughout the day, the workers would partially or fully remove the covers, according to the weather.

This was the only part of the plantation where I saw a cement path. It was done by the owner to allow him access to the top of the mountain, where he was building the visitor's centre.

Davis Pech followed his vision toward a sustainable production and built a completely solar powered coffee laboratory, kitchen, private suites and sunrise veranda.

My son was fascinated by this banana tree and its purple flower. He was surprised to see bananas grow with their tip up and not down.

While we were exploring the area, we met some of the indigenous children of the workers who lived there, on the plantation.

They were very cute and shy.

After a few minutes they got closer to us and my son enjoyed playing with them.

Exposing my son to how they lived, showing him the real face of poverty helped him have a better understanding of the word "gratitude".

Here is a view over the plantation from the top of the mountain, where the visitor's centre and the suits are located. Who would not love to wake up to this each morning? I know, I would!

Can you imagine yourself there on the veranda, sipping your coffee and watching the mist rising? If you'd like to know more about this estate, please check their website here