El Salto, Boquete, Panama
ABOUT
El Salto Premium Coffee
El Salto is the cool high ground above Boquete, on the road that climbs toward the top of Volcán Barú, Panama's highest mountain. Temperatures here run between 13 and 22 °C. The Suárez family's coffee roots in Boquete go back to 1900, when Abdeliat Suadi arrived from Bethlehem and the locals renamed him Domingo Suárez. In 1948 his youngest son Vidal and Vidal's wife Eira Gutiérrez de Suárez started their own farm in El Salto. Their first plantation was Camiseta, planted with Typica, and over the years they bought neighbouring land until they were among the five largest producers in Boquete. Today two of their six children, Carlos and Laura Suárez, run the farms as Grupo Vicala under the El Salto Premium Coffee name, across Camiseta, Los Limones and Doña Eira, between 1500 and 1780 masl. Among other varieties they grow Typica, Yellow Catuai, Laurina and Geisha. Our lots come from Camiseta at 1780 masl. Every pick is floated and sorted by hand, dried slowly in the shade on African beds with the mountain breeze, and finished in a static dryer at low heat.
Laurina
Laurina · Arabica
Often sought for delicate sweetness and lower bitterness, but lot quality is highly dependent on farm and processing.
Natural
The natural process is the oldest way of preparing coffee, dating back to the earliest days of the crop in Ethiopia and Yemen. The whole cherry is dried intact, with the skin, pulp, and sticky mucilage all left on the bean, so as the fruit slowly dries it feeds its sugars and aromas straight into the seed. Getting it right takes patience and constant attention, as the cherries have to be turned regularly on raised beds over many days to dry evenly and avoid faults. Done well, the natural process gives coffees their heavy body, deep berry and jam fruit, and big, wine like sweetness.
Brewing recipes
Simple ways to brew with SOLO & SOLO SPIN
SOLO
This is the classic pour-over style.
You control the brew through your pouring technique, water temperature, and flow speed.
Each pour helps guide the extraction, from soaking the coffee evenly at the beginning to building sweetness in the middle and finishing clean at the end.
This method is best when you want a clean, balanced cup with direct control over the pour.
Best for a clean, balanced cup with direct control over the pour.
SOLO SPIN
This is a hybrid brewing style.
SOLO SPIN uses a valve to control when the coffee is soaking and when it is draining.
When the valve is closed, the coffee stays in contact with the water, like immersion brewing.When the valve is open, the water flows through the coffee, like percolation brewing.
This method gives you more control over contact time, sweetness, body, and clarity.It is best when you want a consistent, balanced cup with both the roundness of immersion and the clean finish of pour-over.
Best for a consistent, balanced cup — the roundness of immersion with the clean finish of pour-over.
SOLO
SOLO POUR OVER METHOD
A simple, clean, repeatable pour over. Coffee extracts in stages, so each pour has a job.
- First pourHelps water reach all the coffee evenly.
- Middle poursBuild sweetness, body, and balance.
- Final pourKeep it gentle to avoid bitterness, dryness, and heavy flavors.
The goal is not to push extraction harder. It is to keep the cup sweet, clean, and structured.
3 POUR EXTRACTION
Best for a clean, sweet, and balanced cup.
- 0:00Pour 80 g93°CWet all the grounds evenly. No dry spots.
- 0:40Pour 80 g93°CBuilds sweetness and balance.
- 1:20Pour 80 g85°CPour gently and let the brew finish naturally.
4 POUR EXTRACTION
Best when you want more body and structure.
- 0:00Pour 60 g93°CFully soak all the coffee.
- 0:30Pour 60 g93°CHelps build sweetness.
- 1:00Pour 60 g93°CDevelops body and structure.
- 1:30Pour 60 g85°CKeep this pour gentle and centered.
8G DOSE EXTRACTION
For rare, expensive, or limited coffees. A smaller cup, same idea.
- 0:00Pour 40 g93°C
- 0:40Pour 40 g93°C
- 1:20Pour 40 g85°C
- 0:00Pour 30 g93°C
- 0:30Pour 30 g93°C
- 1:00Pour 30 g93°C
- 1:30Pour 30 g85°C
SOLO SPIN
SOLO SPIN BREW METHOD
SOLO SPIN gives you more control, combining immersion and percolation in one brewer.
- Valve closedThe coffee is soaking. Immersion helps water reach the coffee evenly.
- Valve openThe coffee is draining. Percolation keeps the cup clean and clear.
The result is a sweet, balanced, and consistent brew.
TWO PHASE MOISTURE EXTRACTION
Jackie's competition recipe. Simple, consistent, and forgiving. Two identical phases — penetration, then development.
- 0:00Close valve · 100 ml94°CSoak so water reaches every particle.
- 1:00Open valveLet it fully drain.
- 1:20Close valveClose between 1:20–1:25, then start Phase 2.
- 0:00Close valve · 100 ml80°CSoak again. Builds sweetness, texture, and clarity.
- 1:00Open valveLet it fully drain.
- 1:20Close valveClose between 1:20–1:25. Done.
The most forgiving SOLO SPIN recipe — perfect for daily brewing.
PIP EXTRACTION
Percolation · Immersion · Percolation. A clean, sweet, expressive cup.
- 0:00Valve open · 50 ml80°CFirst percolation opens the coffee for aroma and clarity.
- 0:30Close valve · 100 ml94°CImmersion. Builds sweetness, body, and balance.
- 1:00Open valveLet it begin to drain.
- 1:30Add 50 ml80°CFinal percolation. Drain fully for a clean finish.