Coffee Farm Tour; Finca Casanga in Boquete, Panama

Also known as the day we learned about coffee! When we were planning our visit to Boquete we knew we wanted to tour a small family owned and operated coffee farm. We knew we had to add a Boquete coffee tour, farm to cup experience, to our list of things to do in Boquete because Boquete Panama is listed as one of the best places in the world to grow coffee.

Fun Fact: Boquete, situated in the Chiriquí Province of Panama, stands out as an exceptional region for coffee cultivation due to its high altitude, ranging from 1,200 to 1,800 meters above sea level, creating a cool microclimate known as “eternal spring.” The volcanic soil, rich in minerals, coupled with well-drained conditions, contributes to the distinctive flavor profile of coffee beans. Boquete’s diverse ecosystem and surrounding mountain ranges provide natural shade, wind protection, and a balanced environment for Arabica coffee cultivation. The region’s geographical location near the equator ensures consistent day lengths, promoting optimal photosynthesis. Notably, Boquete has gained recognition for cultivating premium varieties like Geisha, celebrated internationally for its exceptional cup quality. This combination of factors makes Boquete, Panama, a prime location for producing high-quality coffee beans sought after by connoisseurs worldwide.

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Why we chose this coffee tour in Boquete Panama

We chose Finca Casanga not only due to its proximity to our accommodation in Bajo Boquete but also because it stands out as one of the rare Boquete coffee farms that oversees the entire coffee bean process in small batches – from their farm directly to your cup and they provide a hands-on tour of the entire process plus you get to drink coffee after the tour!

While numerous coffee growers purchase and plant coffee trees, nurture them, harvest the produce, and then sell the beans to wholesalers, Finca Casanga distinguishes itself by managing every step of the process independently.

In the coffee industry, only a select few, like Finca Casanga, control the whole process. As such, they are capable of telling the whole story of coffee production in a hands-on way right on their plantation just outside of Boquete Panama.

Booking our Boquete Coffee Tour

It was a straight forward process to book our Boquete coffee tour with Finca Casanga through the Viator website and we were able to select whether we wanted the tour done in English or Spanish!

Getting there

Finca Casanga has a couple of options for getting to their farm. You can drive up on your appointed day but the road up to the farm is rough and a little steep so we recommend selecting the option to have them pick you up at the Plaza San Francisco in Alto Boquete when you book your tour. That’s what we did. We hailed a taxi in Bajo Boquete and arrived at the Plaza early enough to enjoy an ice cream and a cold drink at the The Garden Restaurant & Country Store while we waiting for pickup. After the tour Finca Casanga will give you a ride back down to the Plaza San Francisco, or as in our case they also graciously provided a ride back into Bajo Boquete after the tour.

Touring Finca Casanga – a Bouquete Coffee Farm

The tour starts in a open-air classroom environment where Enrique shared with us about what they do and why that makes their coffee farm unique. We were able to handle freshly picked coffee cherries and taste the fruit that winds up being discarded to extract the beans. We also got some insight into attempted innovation in the usage of the actual fruit part once the beans are extracted. The wine was pretty awful but the distilled coffee liqueur was very tasty!

I’m not going go into their whole coffee making process in the post because honestly there was so much information and we were there to experience the tour, not document it. We did get some video and you see that over on our YouTube channel The Mobile Retiree visits Finca Casanga. Remember our goal of our posts and videos is to encourage you to want to do the activity yourself, not save you from having to, LOL

Small world story – The owners of Finca Casanga turned out to be from Salem, OR. We are most recently from Bend – which is just a couple hours and a mountain range away – and actually lived in Salem for a while in the mid-90’s. Their story of how they ended up producing coffee in Panama is fascinating but you’ll need to take the tour to get it. Not my job, man….

From there we went into where the coffee grows and learned what to look for when picking coffee. And we picked coffee. Our group happened to be three couples so it was pretty easy for Enrique to pair us off. Not to challenge anyone but we had the best people in our group ever. Aside from us old folk there was a young couple from Germany and a younger couple who were from Mongolia by way of 7 years in California. Everyone was curious and engaged, even the 2 non-coffee drinkers <!!> and we had a great time chatting along the learning process.

Enrique taught us about how the color of the coffee fruit changes during ripening and what to select for, like the fact that some 15% of the plants they have only produce yellow cherries so for those, you pick the perfectly yellow fruit. But for the other 85%, if there is any yellow on the fruit, it isn’t ready yet.

Fun Fact: The coffee bean is the seed of the coffee fruit, commonly known as a coffee cherry or coffee berry. The coffee cherry is a small, round fruit that typically contains two seeds, which we refer to as coffee beans. Each seed is surrounded by pulp, mucilage, and a protective parchment layer within the fruit. The fruit undergoes processing to extract the coffee beans, which are then roasted and ground to produce the coffee beverage.

Once each couple had picked a half bucket of coffee we headed back to take our cherries through the process. We started with extracting the beans from the cherry then sorted out any damaged/diseased beans. Note: They treat the diseased beans as hazardous waste so they are discarded into a sealed container. From there we moved into the drying area and after that point we were working with previously picked coffee; what we picked that day wouldn’t be used for a while.

Fun Fact: Finca Casanga has a coffee tree leasing program where you can pay a small fee to lease a tree and get coffee directly from ‘your’ tree. They have a whole system of cameras so you can log in on the web and livestream your tree!

Another thing that separates Finca Casanga from a lot of other producers is the timing of their process. From harvest to roasting is a 7 month timeline for most of the industry but finca Casanga takes 14 months because they naturally dry their coffee beans rather than forcing them to dry – their extra care and attention at every level and a lot of ‘hands and eyes on the product’ sort of work to ensure it is the best it can possibly be.

Fun Fact: Honey Processed means the cherries are picked off of the trees, the skins are removed and then they are set out to dry. The fleshy cherry fruit dries onto the cherry pit. After it is fully dry, the dried fruit and parchment is removed to get to the coffee bean. This method is known to have a more complex taste.

After visiting the drying area and learning about that we talked about the hulling process and got a chance to do some manual labor.

From hulling we went to roasting. Enrique gave us an intense primer on the roasting process and especially why certain roast levels might be chosen depending on the bean and the intended usage. Each couple was given a small bag of beans that were at the end of the drying/aging process and we roasted them up. We got to decide how roasted we wanted them and, oddly enough, all three couples chose ‘Medium’.

After sealing up our freshly roasted coffee (which we got to take with us!) we went back to the ‘classroom’ and got an in depth explanation of coffee brewing methods. We specifically learned about Italian Espresso, French Press and Siphon as brewing style sand were given a cup of each to compare.

Fun Fact: Ever noticed those bubbles or foam on your freshly brewed coffee? Well, that’s called “crema,” and it’s not just a visual treat! This golden-brown layer is a sure sign of a freshly brewed cup, formed by the release of carbon dioxide during the coffee roasting process. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, crema plays a crucial role in preserving the aromatic compounds in the coffee, resulting in a smoother and creamier texture. So, next time you see that beautiful crema on your espresso, know that you’re in for a flavorful and freshly brewed delight!

Would we Recommend this Coffee Tour?

Definitely yes! Not only did we enjoy the experience we felt like it was a tremendous value. The little bit of money they charge for the three hour tour, in exchange for the tremendous amount of knowledge they share, is amazing. If you have any mobility issues definitely reach out to them directly to discuss whether accommodations can be made. It is a working coffee plantation so there is a little bit of walking over uneven ground and we did spend most of the time on our feet.

They do ship worldwide and there is some merchandise available there to purchase. There’s no hard sell and you do leave with the package of coffee that you roasted.