Panama sits at the center of some of the world’s most expressive coffees, and this lot from Lost Origin and Castelara shows why. It brings together precise fermentation, strong producer heritage, and a clear sense of place. The result is a Gesha shaped through science, craft, and intention.
We’re proud to share this coffee and the story behind it.
A New Chapter for Panamanian Coffee
Lost Origin is a coffee lab in Panama City built on a simple idea: explore flavor through science and curiosity. They source cherries from local producers and run them through controlled fermentation inside a city-based facility above a craft brewery.
The team behind it, beer brewers Frans Zeimatz and Andy Typalos, founded the lab in 2023. Their background in brewing gives them a different way of thinking about fermentation and flavor development. This approach has already gained global attention. Martin Wolfl of Austria won the 2024 World Brewers Cup using a Lost Origin Gesha.
Their motto, “From Farm to Lab,” captures what they do. They work with the country’s best raw material, then push it through processes designed with intention and precision.
Castelara: Three Generations of Craft
Castelara is a family-run farm in Alto Jaramillo, Boquete, sitting between 1,600 and 1,700 masl. The Castillo Arauz family has cared for this land since the 1960s.
The first generation grew Creole coffee. The second, led by Carlos Santiago Castillo and Ana Isabel Arauz, expanded the farm and built an on-site mill to support higher quality.
Today, the third generation—Andreina, Ana Isabel, Jose, and Carlos—continues that work with a strong focus on farming, sustainability, and processing that reflects both tradition and progress.
This altitude and microclimate create perfect conditions for Gesha. Clean cherries with strong structure. Clear acidity. Florals that carry through the cup.
Lost Origin takes this raw material and continues the work in their lab.
The Depulped Lab Process
This lot follows Lost Origin’s “Lab Process,” a controlled fermentation built around specific microbial cultures and a series of measured steps.
• After picking, cherries were depulped
• Fermentation took place in custom stainless steel tanks
• Cultures used: LOY-007P and LOB-001P
• A 54.1-liter fermentation medium (LOM-111) was added, making up 15% of the mass
• Fermentation lasted 1.8 days at an average temperature of 21.15°C
• Microbial activity involved a mixed culture of Pichia kluyveri and Lactobacillus plantarum
The yeast consumed simple sugars like fructose and glucose, creating ethanol and carbon dioxide. The bacteria then thrived in that environment by breaking down maltose. This cooperative dynamic supported a clean, stable fermentation and limited unwanted microbial growth.
Drying took place in controlled rooms over 16.5 days, followed by extended conditioning in Lost Origin’s drying facilities for a total of 54 days. Long, slow, gentle. Designed for stability and clarity.
Taste Description
Aroma
Orange blossom with touches of raspberry and mandarin.
Hot
Orange sherbet and smooth nectarine. A medium-heavy, coating feel. Refreshing acidity and medium-heavy sweetness with a finish that leans into orange marmalade.
Cool
Juicy stonefruit, peach, and orange. Good complexity, soft florals, and a juicy lingering finish.
Why This Collaboration Matters
This coffee captures two stories at once.
• Castelara provides the place, the cherries, and the heritage
• Lost Origin applies controlled fermentation to unlock flavor
It’s a meeting point between the old and the new. Between farming and lab work. Between generations of craft and a team that sees flavor through the lens of brewing science.
This is the kind of collaboration we love at Standout Coffee. Producers who push forward. People who study flavor with purpose. Coffees that carry a point of view.
Crafting Our Daily Dose
Lost Origin’s facility sits above a craft brewery in Panama City. It’s a fitting home for their approach. They work far from the farm, in a space designed for experiments, trials, and controlled adjustments.
They bring the mindset of brewing into coffee—fast feedback, careful testing, and open curiosity. The cherries from Boquete arrive fresh and intact. From there, everything is measured, adjusted, and refined.
Their goal is simple: inspire producers locally and globally by showing what controlled fermentation and clean processing can unlock.
Advanced Processing, Start to Finish
• Custom tanks
• Mixed microbial cultures
• Controlled temperature
• Regulated humidity
• Slow, stable drying
Every step is shaped with intention to guide flavor development.
This is processing as craft, not routine.
