Auromar – Building a family legacy with its award-winning coffee

On the heels of Café Gallardo comes a duo from another award-winning farm – Auromar Panama, with Firestone, the 1st place Geisha Washed lot at the Best of Panama 2022 which achieved a score of 96.0 SCA points; and the Geisha Natural Catalina. Both are from Finca La Aurora, a 30.5-hectare farm in the Piedra Candela highlands of Renacimiento, in the Chiriquí Province.

Firestone Geisha Washed

Harvested from late December to mid-March, the cherries undergo a 16 to 18-hour fermentation process after depulping. Washed beans are sun-dried and manually selected before resting for at least six weeks.

Profile: Frangipani, Yuzu, Yellow peach, Green tea.

Catalina Geisha Natural

Carefully harvested at peak ripeness from January to March, at altitudes ranging between 1,550 and 1,650 m.a.s.l. Processed using the traditional natural method without fermentation. The cherries are sun-dried on African beds for 25 days and then rested in a humidity-controlled cellar for 70 days. Hulled and sorted by size (+16-20) and weight using a densimetric machine. Finally, hand-picked to remove any defects.

Profile: Purple flower, Tangerine, Tropical fruit

Origin

Roberto Brenes founded Auromar Panama in 2006 after retiring from a long career in finance. Auromar is named after his daughter, Aurora, and many of his lots carry the names of the women in his family. The Estate was established to produce high-quality Geishas and other premium Arabica coffees in an eco-friendly and sustainable environment.

Auromar’s Finca La Aurora spans 30.5 hectares, with 14.5 hectares allocated for coffee cultivation in the lower elevations and the remaining 16 hectares preserved as a pristine highland tropical forest.

The cultivated area is designed to balance coffee production with forest conservation. Shade is provided by native tree species and high-altitude Hass avocado trees, creating a stable microclimate with minimal temperature fluctuations.

The coffee cherries benefit from low humidity between December and January and the dry, sunny summer that lasts until mid-April. This combination of forest cover, shade, and late harvest produces limited-supply, highly complex coffee beans each season.

Auromar employs many workers from the Ngobe-Bugle indigenous group, offering them above-average wages and providing education, literacy, and technical training for adults, as well as after-school activities for their children. Since its inception, Auromar has been committed to improving working and living conditions for its employees and their families.

In 2013, Auromar made its debut in the Best of Panama competition, where its Geisha Washed Ironman won first place in the Washed category. It achieved another first-place finish in 2016 with its Geisha Natural Camilina. Since then, Auromar’s Geisha has received numerous awards at the prestigious competition. Most recently, Auromar’s Geisha Washed Firestone secured first place at the 2022 Best of Panama.