Producer: Stefan Muller
Farm: Don Benjie Estate
Region: Boquete
Altitude: 1,400-1,600 masl | 4,593-5,249 feet
Varietal: Gesha
Process: Anaerobic Honey
Roast: Light-Medium
Notes: Pomelo, Graham Cracker, Honeysuckle

Available whole bean only in an 8oz or 4oz pouch. This coffee roasts and ships on Mondays and Thursdays. Please scroll down for more details.

Four years ago, Stefan Muller began experimenting with anaerobic fermentations. Coffee cherries are rinsed, separated by density, and placed in stainless steel containers. The containers are sealed using lids with a one-way valve, allowing gas to escape during fermentation while preventing any from entering.

After 72 hours, the cherries are depulped and moved to Don Benjie's indoor drying facility (a.k.a. the "Dark Room"). The mucilage-covered coffee seeds are placed on drying beds in a temperature controlled environment maintained at 68°F with ample airflow and multiple dehumidifiers, where they'll remain for two weeks until drying is complete. Anaerobic fermentation stains the mucilage red, so Stefan has started referring to coffee processed this way as his "red velvet honeys."

Manuel Barsallo of Lost Origin Coffee Lab in Panama City helped with processing at Don Benjie Estate during the 2024 season, expanding the scope of their fermentation processes and developing Dark Room protocols.

Stefan has been collaborating with Lost Origin, providing them cherries to be processed at their facility in Panama City. One of these lots placed 10th at the Best of Panama 2023 in the Gesha Washed category.

Born in Colombia but having spent most of his childhood in Panama, Stefan was unfamiliar with the coffee industry in Panama until meeting his wife’s family in Boquete, where they owned a coffee farm of their own. Stefan fell in love with the region, and 12 years ago jumped at the opportunity to purchase a farm of his own.

The farm had been abandoned by the previous owner, and required being renovated and replanted. On the farm were a diverse range of fruit trees, oaks, and shade trees from around the world, all of which Stefan has preserved. Multiple standout coffee varieties were already on the farm, including Maragogype and a single Orange Bourbon tree. Both are now established plots at Don Benjie Estate, along with Yellow Catuaí, Pacamara, SL28, Mokka, Gesha, and most recently Pink Bourbon.

When walking the farm with Stefan, his love and affection for the land and coffee he works with is immediately obvious. "Fantastic," "amazing," and "incredible" are words Stefan uses often as he points out the different varieties, pauses to adore the sprawling trees, and tastes coffee cherries. His excitement spills over to the processing and cupping of his coffees, which is all done on-site: "It's a lot of fun."