This year, we’re excited to celebrate the exceptional work of three producers we deeply admire. These remarkable individuals embody the culmination of skill and experience, serving as inspiration for us, the roasters, to continually strive for coffee perfection. If you were fortunate enough to secure a set, we extend our heartfelt thanks for joining in the excitement.

Panama. Lost Origin x Chevas Estate – Geisha. Fermented with Lanchea Thermotolerans (Pulped).

In March 2023, during our visit to Panama City, we had the pleasure of meeting the Lost Origin team. This meeting marked the beginning of a fantastic connection. Cupping their first prodcution lots was a pivotal moment, resulting in Criteria’s inaugural 001_001 release. To put it simply, it was our most popular coffee of the year, marking a turning point in our appreciation for Panamanian coffee and the start of an exciting future of coffee releases.

Lost Origin, led by Franz, Andy, and Johnathan, is known for their brewing prowess at Casa Brewja, a craft brewhouse located in Panama City. Leveraging their beer-brewing expertise, Franz guides the fermentation process, fusing centuries-old brewing traditions with the finest cherries from local Panamanian producers.

We couldn’t resist this exquisite Geisha from Chevas Estate (Boquete). It underwent a meticulous fermentation process under the watchful eye of the Lost Origin team. Lanchea Thermotolerans starter culture was added to the cherries, which were monitored for 2 days at 20°C. Subsequently, they underwent humidity-controlled drying for 26 days, resulting in a relative humidity of 11.2%. The outcome is a coffee with amplified flavors and a clarity that can only be achieved when both growing and processing conditions are of the highest standard.

The cup will delight with flavor notes of jasmine flower, apricot, white peach, and tart cherry.

 

Bolivia. Finca Los Rodriguez, Caranavi – Geisha. Washed Experimental.

The reputation of Bolivian coffee production is synonymous with the dedication of the Los Rodriguez family. Since 1986, Pedro Rodriguez has tirelessly worked to elevate Bolivia’s coffee industry. Under the banner of ‘Fincas Los Rodríguez’ and the Sol de la Mañana program, Pedro and his children Pedro Jnr and Daniela own 12 farms and represent over 200 smallholder producers, uniting the country’s coffee community.

This coffee is a prized Panamanian Geisha processed as a micro-lot, grown at the beautiful Las Alasitas farm in Bolinda, Caranavi. Each cherry is selectively hand-picked and processed on the same day. Similar to winemaking techniques, cherries are first sorted by weight, cleaned, de-pulped, and stored in custom-built stainless-steel fermentation tanks for 75 hours. Parchment is then dried on African beds and turned every 2 weeks to reach a humidity of 11.5%. For the final milling step, the coffee is mechanically hulled and manually sorted under UV light. This meticulous process has undoubtedly elevated the final product.

What we adore about this coffee are the delicate flavors of tea rose, jasmine, and peach. As a filter brew, it is both clean and sweet with a soft roundness to the texture.

Ethiopia. Tamirate Dereje and Girma Bekele – 74112. CM Natural.

Over the past 5 years, our partnership with green bean importers Condesa has deepened. They introduced us to Getu Bekele back in 2019, a highly accomplished agronomist, researcher, trainer, and writer. Getu founded the export business G-Board, which supports single producers in distributing their coffees, enhancing farm productivity, and promoting sustainable and traceable production.

Ethiopian coffee holds a special place in our hearts and forms a highlight of our seasonal offerings. While we often select 4 or 5 options, it was this single lot of exceptional quality that stole the show during our cupping sessions, earning a place in our gift set.

Single lot processing is relatively uncommon in Ethiopia, as most coffee is homogenized at cooperative washing stations. Thanks to G-Broad and Condesa, we were able to procure a small volume of this sensational coffee produced by Girma Bekele. Inheriting his family’s farm in the Biloya village of Kochere, Bekele’s passion for coffee extends from permaculture practices on his land to the scientific processing methods he employs. This single lot of 74112 cherries has undergone carbonic maceration, where un-pulped red cherries ferment in an airtight container for 96 hours under shade before transferring to raised African beds for sun drying over 10-12 days.  During the drying phase the coffee is turned manually 6 times per day to maintain a uniform drying result, on the 15th day when the bean attains a moisture level between 9.5-10.5% the coffee is removed and sent for milling.

This coffee when brewed for filter is rich in flavours of red ripe cherries, red plum and fresh raspberry with sweet brown sugar aftertaste.

The Roast and Brew

These coffees are likely to be its most expressive after resting for 7-10 days.

Each coffee has been roasted for a filter profile

As this is a small portion of coffee that you may want to enjoy over a period of time, we’ve prepared 3 brewing recipes recommended for pour-over, based on different brew sizes.

20g coffee, 300g water, 92 degrees – 5 pours 60g Bloom @ 00:30 seconds in another 60g @ 01:00 60g center pour @ 01:30 60g center pour @ 02:00 60g pour in circles second total brew time 2:50

16g Coffee, 240g water – 4 pours 60g pours every 40 seconds total brew time 2:45ish

12.5g coffee, 192g water – 4 pours 48g pours every 40 seconds total brew time 2:30 +

Over 2 years, the team constructed their laboratory with the aid of a government grant, with custom-designed temperature-controlled fermentation tanks (inspired by their brewing equipment) and a temperature & humidity control drying room for optimised processing. Each coffee goes through 2 phases of processing, first fermentation under pressure and agitation parameters, followed by a 3-stage drying process. The result? This is some of the best coffee that I’ve tasted in many years, coffees that are complex yet clean and elegant. It was so refreshing to find these classic flavors, where extended fermentation and infusion can dominate the cupping table.

For me, a classic washed geisha profile is truly a thing of joy, amazing from the first sip, rewarding as they evolve, they take you on a tasting journey all the way until the last sip.

The First Release

The lot is called 001_001 for a reason. This coffee was Lost Origin’s first official production release, the first time working with this particular producer, and we (Criteria) were their first potential buyer, and as the outcome shows, their first official sale!

The Producer & Processing

This coffee comes from Jaramillo in the Boquete region at an altitude of 1600 masl. Growing coffee under the shade of native trees and in harmony with the natural environment, Finca Jaramillo harvesters are families (men and women) from the Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous community who come to the farm from the Comarca in San Félix and Bocas del Toro. Exporting since 1989, decades of knowledge have been retained with their farming practices, and since 2020, it has been certified as 100% owned by women. Looking to express a clear and clean traditional washed Geisha profile, the coffee was depulped without the use of water in order to keep most of the sugars within the pulp. It was then placed inside the proprietary fermentation vessels and pitched under controlled conditions. With a short fermentation at 25°C for 24 hours and then crashed to a temperature of 10°C for an additional 24 hours. Next, the coffee beans were transferred to individual trays within the 3-stage drying room, under clean air conditions, humidity, and temperature control, where they would slowly dry for 24 days at an average temperature of 20°C. Kviek voss and Lactobacillus Plantarum offer a very neutral fermentation profile with subtle fruity and citric notes.

“From the beginning, it was a very human approach and not just a commercial transaction. Lost Origin was interested in visiting the farm, getting to know it, getting to know us, walking through the coffee plantations, and experiencing a little bit of who we are and how we work.” – Finca Jaramillo

The Roast and Brew

So, now it is your turn to taste this amazing coffee. This coffee is likely to be its most expressive after resting for 7 days.

It has been roasted for a filter profile.

As this is a small portion of coffee that you may want to enjoy over a period of time, we’ve prepared 3 brewing recipes recommended for pour-over, based on different brew sizes.

20g coffee, 300g water, 92 degrees – 5 pours 60g Bloom @ 00:30 seconds in another 60g @ 01:00 60g center pour @ 01:30 60g center pour @ 02:00 60g pour in circles second total brew time 2:50

16g Coffee, 240g water – 4 pours 60g pours every 40 seconds total brew time 2:45ish

12.5g coffee, 192g water – 4 pours 48g pours every 40 seconds total brew time 2:30 +

*Special thanks to our good friend Frederick Kjaerulff-Schmidt for developing these recipes with us

The final outcome.

Sourcing, roasting, and preparing this coffee for the market has been a collaborative effort. We feel incredibly humbled to have had the opportunity to meet the Lost Origin team, witnessing their excitement as the project evolved and holding the final realization—a coffee that upholds decades of knowledge and years of curiosity. We sincerely hope that you find genuine joy while exploring this coffee, from the moment you open the letter-pressed packaging to savoring the final sip.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude for joining us on this remarkable experience.

Craig.

@lostorigincoffee @criteriacoffee.bycraig @craig_simon @andreasimoncreative @hungryworkshop