Lost Origin is a coffee processing lab that uses beer fermentation techniques to take delicious cherries to new heights.

Their proximity to Panama Geisha farms of world renown, coupled with an understanding of craft brewery processing, gave Lost Origin the unique perspective needed to push past norms and elevate the specialty coffee game.

Working with the best of the best, Lost Origin sources geisha from local farms and inoculates them with yeast strains that supercharge the beans with extra aroma compounds and the wondrous fruit notes normally associated with a crisp IPA.

The Lost Origin lab has close-knit partnerships with several farms famous for producing Panama geisha. These farms lie in and around Boquete, and the cherries sourced from these producers are transported to the lab overnight in a refrigerated truck.

Specifically, STITCH COFFEE’s offerings were sourced from two farms: Chevas Coffee Estate in El Salto and Finca Don Benjie in Alto Quiel.

One of the producers of Chevas Coffee Estate is a third-generation coffee farmer called Jose Luis. Having earned a reputation for his daring coffee profiles, Jose was always open to experimenting further with Lost Origin.

In fact, he was one of the first producers to jump on board when Lost Origin began operations five years ago. It's thanks to this producer that we have Helio Gazer coffee on offer.

Not to be outdone is fellow adventurer Stefan Müller of Don Benjie. This producer had the volume and the vision required to see what an exciting opportunity Lost Origin presented for the Panama specialty coffee industry.

As for the farm, Finca Don Benjie cultivates pristine coffee using a combination of volcanic soils, pure spring water, and a legendary ‘Bajareque mist’. From this farm heralds our Lost Origin Lactobacillus Plantarum and Lachancea Thermotolerans coffees.

Such a dynamic way of processing coffee necessarily begets a unique set of equipment. As such, the Lost Origin lab is kitted out with custom oxygen-free, stainless steel vessels and HEPA filters. This equipment allows the team to control how the cherries ferment flavour and inherit extra aromatic compounds.

While the inoculation method changes slightly depending on the coffee, each coffee undergoes two distinct processing phases. In the first fermentation stage, the cherries were depulped before being inoculated with a starter culture.

From this point, the process becomes highly variable, with each coffee receiving a five-star treatment custom-made to bring out the best in the beans. Specifically, the Lost Origin team experiments with temperature, fermentation period, pressure (caused by naturally occurring carbon dioxide) and introducing extra ingredients to the fermentation tanks.

For example, Helio Gazer was fermented with cascara and water so that the coffee carried the perfect sugar content while Lactobacillus Plantarum was fermented alongside Pichia kluyveri, pectic enzymes, and yeast nutrients to create a healthy fermentation environment.

The second stage that comes directly after fermentation is drying! The coffees are removed from the fermentation tanks and placed in drying rooms where humidity and temperature are tightly controlled.

Each coffee has a special drying room procedure and can be left in the space from anywhere between 26 (Helio Gazer) to 42 (Lactobacillus Plantarum) days.

After taking the long journey from Panama to Australia, the green coffee finally lands in our roastery. Upon receiving the beans, our Head of Coffee Nameru decided that a lighter roast approach would be best.

Nameru said, “we chose to roast lighter than usual for these lots to highlight the clarity and sweetness of the coffee."

"This allows the drinker to experience every subtle flavour nuance stemming from the super innovative, inoculation process that uses different beer yeasts. It truly brings out the best of the geisha variety.“

In more technical terms, our team of roasters purposefully went down the route of lower batch sizes (approx. 25%–30% capacity), as lower energy input allowed better control over thermal momentum while keeping energy in the roasts.

It also helped prevent anomalies that may have imparted a bad aftertaste in the beans.

An additional benefit of lower batch sizes was greater precision when it came to regulating temperature. This further assisted in avoiding dark roast-related flavours, which would have been undesired in such prized beans as these.

As Nameru relates, “We've worked with, and collected data on, many geisha varieties over the years, so we know to emphasise the shape of the roast curve and the angle of the rate of rise.”

“Specifically, we want to ensure that we’re regulating energy throughout the entire roasting process, roasting for the correct duration to ensure flavour development, and finishing at the desired temperature (depending on the screen size and batch size of the coffee).”

Following this precise roasting recipe ensured that the geisha's superior coffee genetics and microclimate characteristics were at the forefront of the cup's final profile.

It took a few brilliant geisha harvests, endless lab experiments, a quick roast and countless packaging prototypes later, but we're finally here—STITCH COFFEE is thrilled to present our three Lost Origin coffees!

PANAMA, CHEVAS (HELIO GAZER)

Just when you thought we hit the apex in specialty coffee with Panama Geisha, the Lost Origin lab releases one imbued with Helio Gazer. Expect a stellar cup that’s beaming with notes of nectarine, sugarcane, and green grape.

PANAMA, DON BENJIE (LACHANCEA THERMOTOLERANS)

A volcanic crater, Lanchancea Thermotolerans culture, and geisha cherries; in other words, all the ingredients you need to create a Panama coffee that’s truly epic. The culture informs the bean’s elevated aroma and pronounced notes of pomegranate, peach and pineapple flavour.

PANAMA, DON BENJIE (LACTOBACILLUS PLANTARUM)

The star-crossed lovers of the beverage world—coffee and beer—meld into one with this celestial Panama geisha. Within the fermentation tank, this culture creates the perfect environment in which flavour and unique cup characteristics can thrive.

Enjoy enhanced notes of condensed sugar and cherry against a backdrop of jasmine aroma.

Available in cafes and online, our Lost Origin coffees come wrapped in holographic packaging that reflects their premium price point and the transformative process the beans undertook to become the delectable coffees they are today.