How to Go on a Coffee Tour in Boquete, Panama
A small mountainous town at the base of a volcano, Boquete is an ideal location for growing coffee plants. Due to its microclimate, high elevation, and nutrient-rich volcanic soil, this area thrives in production and is home to almost half of the country’s coffee farms. A coffee tour is one of the best things to do in Boquete and a must for all coffee lovers. Even if you don’t drink coffee, like me, this is an informative and interactive tour, and you can try the tea made from its berry. To enhance your coffee plantation experience, combine it with a panoramic tour for a great half-day tour of Boquete.
Thinking about going on a panoramic & coffee tour in Boquete? Here is my honest review of the panoramic & coffee tour with Full Adventures Boquete.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Full Adventures Boquete. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Coffee Tour in Boquete, Panama
Home to almost 2000 coffee plantations, the people of Boquete know their coffee. Of the 400 kinds of coffee berries grown worldwide, you can find 50 of those varieties grown in Boquete. Each year from November to March, the berries are hand-picked from the plants and processed.
During your coffee tour in Boquete, you will learn all about coffee, coffee production and processing, and have a great coffee tasting of the different types offered at the farm. Your guide will break down misconceptions about coffee, inform you about different coffees around the world, and teach you what makes Panamanian coffee special.
Is Coffee From Panama Good?
Panama is recognized for producing high-quality coffee, producing 1% of the world’s coffee supply. The best Panamanian coffee is grown in Boquete and is loved for its flavour profile.
What Does Panama Coffee Taste Like?
Coffee from Panama tastes well-balanced, with hints of fruit and dark cocoa. Its fragrance is intense and sweet, with notes of a jasmine-like aroma. The popular Geisha variety is known for its floral and fruity taste, nothing like when you think of coffee.
What Makes Geisha Coffee Special?
Unlike any other coffee in the world, Geisha coffee is what made the Boquete region well-known and is considered some of the best coffee in the world. Aromatic with a distinctive flavour profile, Geisha brew has a fruity flavour, ranging from berry to citrusy and even mango, peach, or bergamot.
Since being created in 2004, Geisha has quickly gained popularity and status, taking a worldwide stage. This high-quality, sought-after coffee comes with a high price tag, selling from hundreds to thousands of dollars per pound, making it some of the most expensive coffee in the world. With its high price, Geisha is often enjoyed on special occasions rather than as an everyday cup of java.
About Full Adventures Boquete
Full Adventures Boquete is a tour operator in Boquete, offering and organizing a variety of adventure activities: including horseback riding, white water rafting, nature hikes, coffee tours, and more. The owner Jeimy is very kind, and her staff are very knowledgeable.
Location
Full Adventures Boquete is located in downtown Boquete on the main highway that passes through this small town. Their shop is next to Big Daddy’s Grill and has a large sign out front that lists some of the adventure activities they offer.
Address: QHG8+6X4, Vía Boquete, Bajo Boquete, Panama
The Scenery
Located in northwest Panama in the Chiriqui Highlands, Boquete is a small town at the base of Volcan Baru. At 1200 m above sea level, you will be up in the cloud forest and experience cooler temperatures than the mainland. During your tour, you will see scenic views of the rolling mountains.
Panoramic & Coffee Tour with Full Adventures Boquete
Here is what it’s like going on the half-day panoramic and coffee tour with Full Adventures Boquete:
After meeting at the office, we got in the car and started our panoramic and coffee tour. Our guide Felix was friendly, personable, and knowledgeable. We right away knew that we were going to get along well and have a great experience.
Panoramic Tour
Still tired from our sunrise jeep tour the day before, our guide modified our private panoramic tour into a scenic drive through the mountain to show us the best views of Boquete from different angles. At every scenic lookout, we would pause and jump out of the car to take photos and admire the view. While driving, Felix shared with us some of the region’s history and answered any curiosities about Boquete we had.
Our first official stop of the panoramic tour was a coffee shop with the best view in all of Boquete. We arrived just as the cafe was opening, excited to sit on the balcony overlooking the valley below. We ordered a coffee, a cappuccino, and hot chocolate. After finishing our drinks and soaking in the incredible views as long as possible, it’s time to head to the farm for our Boquete coffee tour.
Coffee Tour
We toured award-winning Finca La Milagrosa, also known as the Miracle Farm. Upon arriving for our tour and tasting, we started outside to learn about the plants. Our guide picked fresh berries for us to sample. To our surprise, the berry tasted nothing like the end product of coffee. Instead, it was fruity. Each berry had a different shape and a different taste. Even the flowers of the plant smelled pleasant.
Learn what goes into coffee production and 4-months of processing, from the berry on the tree to the drinkable product. See the innovative ways that this small family-run farm’s hand-created machines assist them in processing while still keeping a hands-on approach to their specialty coffee. You will be able to learn and taste what makes Panamanian coffee special.
Watch the beans hand-roast in front of you as you wait for your coffee to be ready. During the tasting portion, you will sample five products: an arabica washed, arabica natural, geisha washed, geisha natural, and a tea made from the coffee berry. The geisha natural was P’s and our tour guide Felix’s favourite variety. Each one had a unique taste and smelled pleasant, different from coffee back home. I enjoyed the tea as it was unlike anything I’d tasted before.
After the tasting, we bought coffee and tea to bring home, finishing our half-day tour.
Tips for the Panoramic & Coffee Tour
- Bring cash with you to purchase coffee from the farm. There is no debit machine at the farm. If you do not have money on you, Full Adventures Boquete will accept credit cards via their payment machine at their shop for coffee purchases, which is what I did to buy bags of coffee and tea.
- Wear sunscreen and bug spray. You will be mostly outside during your tour.
- Visit during the harvest season to see the production line and processing machines in busy operation (November-March). For a more quiet/private tour, go outside of harvest time. We visited in October when machines were being repaired to prep for the harvest and had the farm to ourselves.
Panoramic & Coffee Tour with Full Adventures Boquete: Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the coffee tour, even as a non-coffee drinker. Jeimy convinced me to go, and I’m glad she did. While I didn’t drink any coffee, the experience was enjoyable and educational, from learning Boquete’s history to the process of making coffee and misconceptions of coffee from around the world. I recommend doing the panoramic & coffee tour with Full Adventures Boquete.
To learn more about Full Adventures Boquete, and book your panoramic & coffee tour adventure, visit their website or their social media.
I hope this information helps you plan your Panama coffee tour with Full Adventures Boquete.
Happy travelling!
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