Star Coffees - Vol.9 - Panama Lerida - Geisha BLACK Honey

Finca Lérida, Boquete, Panama — Black Honey Process

Finca Lérida is a historic coffee estate in the Boquete highlands of Chiriquí Province, Panama, today made up of five named farms — Lérida, Esplendorosa, Amelia, El Salto, and Flora — spread across roughly 1,600 to 2,000 meters of elevation in cool, cloud-forest conditions. Geisha is one of several varietals the estate grows, alongside Pacamara, Catuai, and Typica.

Black honey is the most intensive point on the honey-processing spectrum. After picking, the cherry's skin is removed but almost all of its sticky mucilage is left on the parchment to dry alongside the bean — far more than a yellow or red honey lot would retain. That heavier sugar layer needs closer attention during drying: the parchment has to be raked and turned more frequently than a washed or lightly honeyed lot, since the sugar-rich surface is more prone to over-fermenting or molding if left undisturbed. Done carefully, that extra risk pays off in a cup with more body and sweetness than a standard honey process, while still holding onto more floral lift than a full natural typically shows.

This release carries no separate lot number of its own — instead, it's identified by its place in DABOV's Star Coffees Collection, a numbered series built around repackaging distinctive lots as small, collectible boxes. Vol. 9 marks the collection's return to Panama Gesha after its debut with a Honduras natural lot as Volume 1.

Honey, Jasmine, Peach, Blackcurrant

This is the fullest-bodied of DABOV's three Finca Lérida Geisha expressions: honey sweetness and peach carry the middle of the cup, jasmine supplies a floral top note, and blackcurrant adds a tart, almost wine-like edge that keeps the sweetness from becoming one-dimensional. Body is noticeably heavier than either the estate's washed-adjacent honey lot or its natural release, closer to what a natural Gesha shows, while the jasmine note keeps it from tipping into pure fruit-bomb territory.

That balance comes directly from the black honey process: leaving nearly all of the cherry's mucilage on the parchment during drying concentrates sugars and adds body in a way a lighter honey process doesn't, while the shorter, more controlled drying window compared to a full natural keeps some floral clarity intact. A light roast is what makes that balance visible in the cup — anything darker would flatten the jasmine note and push the blackcurrant tartness toward simple bitterness.

Best drunk black; the jasmine and blackcurrant notes are the point, and milk mutes both.

Pour-Over First

A cup this layered needs a brew method that extracts cleanly without over-extracting into bitterness — pour-over does that better than full immersion or espresso.

Pour-Over

Ratio: 1:15.5–1:16 (coffee to water by weight) — slightly stronger than a standard filter ratio, since black honey's extra body supports it.

Grind: Medium-fine, similar to table salt.

Water temperature: 200–205°F (93–96°C) — the warmest end of what we recommend across our Finca Lérida lots, since black honey's dense sugar layer needs a bit more heat to extract fully.

Time: Total brew time around 3:00–3:15, poured slowly in stages.

Siphon

If you have the equipment, a siphon brewer is worth trying with this lot: the full immersion plus vacuum filtration draws out the blackcurrant and jasmine notes distinctly, in a cup that's cleaner than a French press but rounder than a pour-over. Use a 1:15 ratio and pull the brewer off heat as soon as the bottom chamber empties.

Keep the box sealed and grind only what you need per session — black honey coffee's aromatics fade quickly once ground, and there's no reason to grind ahead at this format size.

Did You Know

• "Black honey" is named for how the parchment looks while drying, not the bean's roast color. Leaving almost all of the cherry's mucilage on the parchment darkens it to a near-black color as it dries and ferments gently in the sun — a visual cue processors use to track how far along a black honey lot is.

• Finca Lérida is really five farms under one name. The estate comprises Lérida, Esplendorosa, Amelia, El Salto, and Flora — five named properties spread across roughly 1,600 to 2,000 meters of elevation in Panama's Boquete highlands.

• This is the Star Coffees Collection's ninth numbered release. Earlier volumes drew from a Honduras Gesha (Vol. 1), a Nicaraguan single origin (Vol. 6), and an Ethiopian producer lot (Vol. 7) before the series returned to Panama Gesha with this Finca Lérida black honey release.

What is black honey processed coffee?

Black honey is the heaviest form of honey processing: the cherry's skin is removed, but nearly all of its sugar-rich mucilage is left on the parchment to dry with the bean. It produces more body and sweetness than a lighter honey process, closer to what a full natural shows.

How is black honey different from red or yellow honey?

The difference is how much mucilage is left on the parchment during drying. Yellow honey keeps the least (closest to washed), red honey keeps a middle amount, and black honey keeps the most (closest to natural) — each producing a progressively fuller, sweeter cup.

What is DABOV's Star Coffees Collection?

It's a numbered series of limited, collectible coffee releases — this Panama Lérida black honey Gesha is Volume 9, following earlier volumes from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia.

Why does this geisha taste like jasmine and blackcurrant?

The jasmine note comes from the Gesha varietal itself, which tends toward floral, tea-like aromatics regardless of process. The blackcurrant tartness is a black honey signature — the heavy mucilage retention during drying concentrates fruit acidity alongside the sugars.

How should I brew a black honey geisha?

Pour-over works best: a 1:15.5–1:16 ratio, medium-fine grind, and water at 200–205°F (93–96°C), poured slowly. A siphon brewer is also worth trying if you have one — it draws out this lot's blackcurrant and jasmine notes distinctly.

Is this a numbered or limited release?

Yes — it's Volume 9 of DABOV's Star Coffees Collection, a curated series rather than a standing catalog item. Once this release sells through, it won't be reissued under the same number.