SGCW\Exclusive\Kotowa\Duncan

Tasting Notes: Blackberries, raspberries, milk chocolate, winey

Fragrance/Aroma: Blackberries, honey mango, milk chocolate, earthy, wine
Acidity: Slightly tart, citric, malic
Body: Winey, syrupy
Aftertaste: Cocoa, lingering, sweet and bitter

Kotowa’s coffee-growing heritage dates back to 1913, when Canadian immigrant Alexander Duncan Macintyre arrived in Boquete, Panama, and established the family’s first coffee farm. Four generations later, the Koyner family continues that legacy under the stewardship of Ricardo Koyner and his family. The name Kotowa, derived from the indigenous Ngäbe language, means “mountains”, an apt reflection of the estate’s roots in Boquete’s highland landscape. Over the decades, Kotowa has become an established name in Panamanian specialty coffee, earning repeated recognition at the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama’s (SCAP) Best of Panama (BOP) competition. Its accolades include first-place finishes in Geisha Natural, Traditional Variety Natural and Traditional Variety Washed, alongside multiple Panama Cup awards recognising the country’s leading producers.

Today, Kotowa encompasses several distinct growing properties, each offering different elevations and microclimates. Its five principal farms are Duncan, Don K, Río Cristal, Tradicional and Las Brujas. These range from the lower, warmer Palo Alto plots at around 1,300–1,400 masl to the cooler highland environments of Duncan, Don K and Río Cristal, generally between 1,650 and 1,850 masl. Las Brujas occupies the southwestern slopes of Volcán Barú, where forest cover and Pacific rainfall shape its growing conditions. Together, these properties allow Kotowa to cultivate a broad selection of varieties, from Caturra and Typica to Geisha and Ethiopian heirloom selections, while exploring different processing approaches.

This natural-processed Ethiopian heirloom lot comes from Finca Duncan, situated on the western side of Boquete’s El Salto Plateau at approximately 1,650–1,750 masl. Duncan’s growing environment receives around 1,900 mm of annual rainfall from both Pacific and Atlantic weather systems, with temperatures ranging from approximately 13°C to 22°C. The farm is also managed according to organic agricultural principles, using composted coffee pulp as fertiliser and avoiding herbicides and insecticides.

The lot undergoes an unusually extended, multi-stage drying protocol designed to manage moisture loss progressively. After harvesting fully ripe cherries, they are spread in 15 cm layers under a black tarp for 11 days, with the cherries turned three times daily. They are then transferred to greenhouse drying beds in 5 cm layers for 15 days, followed by a further 15 days of greenhouse drying at the same layer depth, with twice-daily turning throughout. Once pre-dried, the coffee rests in warehouse sacks for 20 days to stabilise before undergoing a final five-day drying stage in a fixed-temperature dryer maintained at 35°C.

This carefully sequenced approach combines extended drying, regular turning and a dedicated stabilisation period before final moisture adjustment. It reflects Kotowa’s continued attention to post-harvest precision, complementing its long-standing commitment to varietal diversity and quality across its different farms.

Sourced from: Sewoong GC
We paid: S$211.22/kg

Moisture content: 9.0%
Weight loss: 9.3%
Agtron: W81.9 / G118.3 / △36.4