Panama Mokkita Natural -Mama Cata Estate

Coffee Profile

Continent: Central America

Country: Panama

Farm: Mama Cata Estate

Process: Natural

Region: Boquete, Panama

Variety: Mokkita

Roast Scale

Light Medium Dark

---

Roasting Wednesdays. 

Tasting Notes

Incredibly floral and complex aroma; Violet, jasmine, rose. Sweet and fruit saturated  cup with  of papaya, bergamot, strawberry, and raspberry. An Effervescent acidity and lush body. The Floral notes linger long after the last sip.

Farm: Mama Cata Estate

Process: Natural

Variety: Mokkita

Roast: Light

Coffee Review Scored this coffee 97 Points! Their highest score of 2021.

“Blind Assessment: Aromatically other-worldly, resoundingly juicy. Caramelized pineapple, aromatic orchid, pistachio, raw chocolate, oolong tea in aroma and cup. Sweet-savory-tart structure with gently bright acidity; deep, syrupy mouthfeel. Flavor-laden finish with especially impressive fruit and florals”

Background Info

A unique Mokka type variety growing only at Mama Cata estate in Panama.

In 2020 and 2021 their Mokkita Natural was the highest scoring non-geisha variety at the Best of Panama Cupping competition. This year at Auction the Mokkita received the highest price ever paid for a non-geisha variety coffee from anywhere in the world: $400/lb of green coffee! 

 In 2004 after the 'Discovery' of the Geisha/Gesha variety from Hacienda La Esmeralda that won that year's Best of Panama Competition, Jose David Garrido of Mama Cata estate went looking through the trees in his farm for plants that looked unusual and might produce an excellent cup. One plant he found had very small cherries and they called it Mokkita. The following year they had a small sample harvested from this tree cupped by Japanese coffee buyer Mamoru Taguchi. Based on the positive feedback they decided to use the next harvested for seed. The first place they planted the trees didn't take well. Believing this to be a Mokka variety from Yemen, they next decided to try planting in a drier area at 1550-1600m with different soil that might be more similar to the environment there.

In January 2022 we sent samples of this coffee to RD2 in France for genetic testing to get a better idea of it's background. The results suggest it is a hybrid of a Bourbon* type variety  and Geisha.

*Many plants called Mokka are a dwarf hybrid from Bourbon and cannot be distinguished from Bourbon, or other mutants from bourbon such as Caturra, or Laurina. 

Most likely Geisha and a Mokka type plant at Mama Cata crossed at some point in time and resulting in this unique (and delicious) cultivar on their farm.

They now have about 2 hectares (5 acres) of Mokkita planted. Mokkita is a very low yielding plant. Producing less than half the amount of cherry as Geisha and Typica. They harvest the cherries in small batches and dry them slowly over a month on raised screens inside a greenhouse structure.