Coffee?

I used to think I knew coffee. Then I moved to Panama.

The Chiriqui province of Panama is home to some of the world's finest specialty coffee producers. Tourists flock to Boquete to take coffee tours and visit farms high in the mountains, where coffee trees grow best.

Coffee cherries grow on bushy trees that farmers keep pruned to about 5-7 feet. Some of the fincas (farms) have coffee trees planted on such steep slopes that only indigenous natives are able to harvest the cherries, which must be picked by hand when the color is just right. And, not all coffee cherries ripen at the same time, so harvesting must be done over and over.

So, there's a lot of work that goes into making the perfect cup of coffee.

Enthusiasts will enjoy Higher Grounds, an entertaining look at the history of coffee and how Panama became a major player. One of the stars of the video is Wilford Lamastus, founder of the Lamastus Family Estates high in the mountains above Boquete. The Lamastus Elida Estate has set auction records for its Geisha variety of coffee.

Even before moving to Boquete, David and I spent a long weekend touring both the Elida and nearby Lérida coffee plantations. First we learned about the optimal altitude, volcanic soil, sun, ocean winds, and rainfall necessary to grow premier coffee cherries.

 

Most surprising to us as novices, we learned that it's the drying process that creates the most flavor in coffee. The beans can be dried with their skins on (natural), or dried with their skins removed but still sticky (honey), or dried with their skins removed and cleaned (washed). 

Only after the beans are dried outside in the sun are they roasted at a precise temperature.

In so many ways, coffee is like wine. There are as many different kinds of coffee cherries as there are grapes. Among the most popular varietals in the Chiriqui region are Catuai, Pacamara and Geisha.

After touring the facilities, we took part in a very scientific looking process called a cupping. About eight small bowls were set out each containing coffee beans, labeled by type and how it was dried (for example, Catuai washed).

 

First we smelled the ground beans, then hot water was added and we loudly slurped each bowl with a spoon to compare the different tastes. There is even a coffee tasting guide that allows experts to judge the quality of coffee and assign a number. 

In short, specialty coffee is a big business and Panama is right up there with the world's top producers. Since our tours, we've taken coffee a lot more seriously.

At Buckle Tip, one of the better coffee shops in town, the baristas write on a chalk board each morning which coffee is available that day by varietal and the name of the farm it came from.

When friends ask about my favorite coffee, there is absolutely no one answer. First thing in the morning, we brew a pot of ground 1820 coffee from a pound bag that costs about $7 at the grocery store. In the afternoons, we might go to Buckle Tip for a pour over of the daily special. Or, we might go to one of the many local shops like Kotowa or Café Unido for a cappuccino.

Adding creamer, steamed milk, syrups and other additives to coffee is, well, up for debate. As a general rule, if it's an expensive pour over, I never add anything. But, I add a flavored creamer to my morning coffee, and love cappuccinos (espresso with foamed milk) with a passion.

Life is short. Drink coffee the way you like it. 

Hitting the Beach

Panama without a doubt has some of the most exquisite beaches in the world. And while it's tempting to want to buy a beautiful home with picture windows overlooking the ocean, we've decided it's far better to visit the beach than to live there.

Isla Gamez

Coastal temperatures in Panama, even with breezes coming off the water, are scorching. It's absolutely lovely if you're in a swimsuit sipping a frozen drink under a palm tree, but that kind of heat is not something we want to contend with every day.

The good news is there are dozens of spectacular beaches within easy driving distance of Boquete, including the world-famous Bocas del Toro archipelago of islands off the Caribbean side of Panama. In February we stayed at the Red Frog Beach island resort on Isla Bastimentos, one of the larger islands in the region. The coastal town of Almirante, where you catch the ferry to Bocas Town, is about 175 km away or a three hour and 15 minute drive from Boquete through scenic mountains.

Closest to us, about 65 km away or an hour and fifteen minute drive through the city of David, is the Las Olas beach resort on Playa La Barqueta. Another great getaway is the Show Pony beach resort on Playa Las Lajas, also on the Pacific, about 126 km away or a two-hour drive.

One of Dave's favorites is Boca Chica, a small fishing village that juts out into the Gulf of Chiriqui surrounded by dozens of tiny islands. It's about 95 km away or an hour and 35 minute drive from Boquete. In January we stayed for a few days at the Bocas del Mar resort, which has a fabulous swimming pool, excellent restaurant and hammocks overlooking the water. We took a day trip on a small boat to the tiny, uninhabited Isla Gámez, which has a picture-perfect swimming beach.

Las Lajas

In March, we crossed the border into Costa Rica to stay at the Hotel Banana Azul on Playa Negra, near the charming beach town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. The area is above the Bocas del Toro region on the Caribbean side, in the Guanacaste province in Costa Rica. While there we spent a day on Playa Punta Uva, which has spectacular clear, turquoise water and white sand.

Generally, beaches on the Pacific side of Panama are best for relaxing under an umbrella or walking, but not swimming. There are strong currents and undertows that make swimming a challenge, if not dangerous. Beaches on the Atlantic/Caribbean side are usually perfect for swimming, with clear water and smooth sandy bottoms.

Still, location makes a big difference. On an earlier trip to Bocas del Toro, we had a lovely day in the water on Starfish beach, off Bocas Town, as well as the beach in front of our rental on Isla Carenero. But big waves and pounding surf at Red Frog beach prevented us from getting in the water there.

At the end of the day, all the beaches we've been to have had extraordinary sunsets, and equally as beautiful sunrises. So there's no wrong choice when it comes to beaches in Panama.

Red Frog Beach, Bocas del Toro

Hotel Banana Azul, Costa Rica

Outdoor Adventures

Boquete well deserves its reputation as one of the premier tourist hot-spots in Panama. Incredible weather, lush rainforests, world-class coffee plantations and gorgeous mountain views attract Panamanians and foreigners alike.

Over the past nine months, we've taken a number of hikes on our own and paid for guided tours as well, particularly when our college-aged son has come to visit. Easily the most spectacular was the guided trek to the top of Volcan Baru, the tallest mountain in Panama at 3,474 meters (11,398 feet), and twelfth highest peak in Central America.

The town of Boquete lies in a valley at the foot of Volcan Baru, which last erupted in 1550, or 472 years ago. A side note, we took a geologic tour of the valley led by Paul Myers, a retired University of Wisconsin professor, who lives in the area. Myers says that while this volcano usually erupts every 400 years or so, we'll all have plenty of warning.

Top of Volcan Baru at sunrise

Although some very fit hikers attempt to climb the volcano from the bottom, we paid an experienced, native guide to drive a modified 4x4 truck up the insanely rock-filled path (I'd hesitate to call it a road) almost to the top. Our guide picked us up at 3:30 a.m. for the roughly two-hour drive. Near the top we got out and hiked in the freezing cold for about 20 minutes to the peak, where we watched the sun rise.

On a clear day you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the peak of Volcan Baru. The sunrise and views were absolutely breathtaking, and we met travelers from Europe who had come specifically to hike this volcano. Shout out to the bilingual folks at Boquete Outdoor Adventures for top-notch guides.

Hiking trails abound through the rainforests surrounding Boquete, and many trails pass by spectacular waterfalls. We've been on some well-maintained trails with steps and handrails, and some overgrown trails that require a GPS map to find. And because of the incredible variety of birds, animals, flowers and plants, we've downloaded a few apps to our phones to help identify the more interesting species.

Waterfall hike

Within a couple hours driving distance, we've jumped off canyon walls into the river at Los Cangilones de Gualaca, and soaked in the natural thermal pools of the Caldera Hot Springs. We took our son zip-lining over the rainforest canopy at Boquete Tree Trek, high up in the mountains. While there we took a guided 4.5 km hike where we crossed six different hanging bridges suspended between the mountains.

And after all that, we still haven't exhausted all the tourist activities in the area. We're told the upcoming rainy season is the perfect time to try whitewater rafting!

Getting Around in Boquete

Boquete, Panama, is a small town with big ambitions. We've only lived here since September 2022, and already we can see changes big and small happening all around us.

Old-timers fondly recall the slower pace of life in what was once rural Boquete, when caballeros rode into town on horseback. And while you can still see horses on side streets, and pull up and park at the front door of most stores in town, the main avenue through Boquete is often jammed with cars.

Horses on the side streets of Boquete

Boquete doesn't have traffic lights, and only a few stop signs that are largely taken as a suggestion. Taxis will stop in the street to pick up passengers, and cars are parked anywhere they can more or less fit.

Buses are the primary mode of transportation in the area: they're cheap, go everywhere, and will pick up and drop off anywhere along their routes. Big coaches and repurposed school buses run continuously from Boquete to the city of David, while 10-seater vans known as "coasters" connect neighborhoods and towns across the region.

Speeding buses and taxis, narrow streets, deep gutters, and pedestrians and animals walking into traffic are all common in downtown Boquete. Still, the expectation is that drivers wait, let others in, and pull around when necessary. Honking is more informative than angry.

There is a police presence in Boquete, primarily along the main highway that runs for roughly 40 km from Boquete to David, the second-largest city in Panama. There is a permanent police checkpoint on the highway about 10 km before you reach Boquete.

Speeds on the highway range from 40 km/h to 80 km/h without much notice or signage, and keeping up with traffic earned us our first speeding ticket in Panama this year. It was a pretty perfunctory stop though and tickets are recorded electronically, so easy to pay online later.

Rainbow over Boquete

The town of Boquete lies in a valley flanked by neighborhoods perched on the surrounding mountainsides, notably Jaramillo and Volcancito. When we first arrived and were searching for a rental property, we spent time exploring these and other high-altitude areas, and were glad to have our four wheel drive Toyota.

Most of the neighborhoods in the mountains surrounding Boquete are only accessible by narrow, winding, and sometimes gravel roads. More than once I had to grab the seat after looking over the edge of a road with no guardrails that plunged precipitously down the mountainside.

Bottom line, getting around this growing region requires a lot of patience and goodwill, as road rage will get you nowhere. Some drivers are fast and some are slow. We just shrug and remember, This Is Panama (TIP).

Moving to Boquete

Our second year of living in Panama began almost the same way as our first: showing up with packed bags and nowhere to live. Luckily we had picked one of the most popular tourist destinations in Panama as our next home, full of hotels and short-term rentals at least.

The valley town of Boquete is located in the mountainous Chiriquí region of western Panama, close to the border of Costa Rica. The town sits at an elevation of about 1070 m (or 3510 ft) above sea level, making it much cooler than the country's coasts and lowlands.

Before leaving the city, we rented for one week a small, three-bedroom house on the edge of town. We also hired Miguel Samaniego, a tour guide in Panama City, to load one of his passenger vans with our belongings accumulated over the past year, and to deliver them to our rental.

It's a roughly 6.5 hour drive (482 km or 300 miles) along the main Inter-American highway to get from Panama City to Boquete. It's a scenic drive though and one we've taken several times since moving, which includes going by the massive wind farm in Penonomé. 

Penonome Wind Farm

We had visited Boquete twice before while living in Panama City, and had read a lot about it. The town's temperate climate has long made it popular with retirees and expats, while hiking trails, whitewater rafting on the Caldera River, and zip-lining over the rainforest canopy has made it popular with tourists.

Those things also have increased costs and put housing in short supply.

Undaunted, we contacted a string of real estate agents about long-term rentals, posted inquiries on local listservs, and stopped by a happy hour in town to ask if anyone knew about places opening up. Days went by with agents telling us there just weren't properties to show us and that inventory was the lowest they'd seen in years.

Initially, we had envisioned renting a furnished, single-family home on the side of a mountain overlooking the town of Boquete, with lots of trees and a nice view of the sunrise. But with rentals in such short supply, we were forced to adjust our expectations.

Still, we knew what we had to have in an apartment: good internet, king-size bed, modern appliances, at least a decent view, and most important, an outdoor patio with a grill. Although our view of the bay in Panama City was spectacular, not being able to grill was traumatic.

Sunrise from the condo

Three weeks later, we settled on a second-story walk-up condo in a gated community called Boquete Country Club that met most of our checklist. Located in Alto Boquete, our neighborhood of mostly English-speaking expats is an easy 10-minute drive into town along relatively smooth, paved and lit roads, which are not at all a given in this region of Panama.

And while we initially wanted to be closer to town, the slightly longer distance means it's quieter and we can avoid festival traffic.

Why Panama and Why We’re Staying

On Sept. 1, 2021, my husband David and I arrived at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama, with only the luggage we could carry and a bold plan to start the next chapter of our lives in a foreign country.

Nearly a year later I can report that we’ve adjusted and re-adjusted our expectations, learned a lot about Panama, and regret nothing. Friends and family keep checking in, but as of this writing we’re here to stay.

Panama Bay

Our original reasons for retiring in Panama have held up: low cost, high standard of living, close to the East Coast, warm climate, low crime rate, and a stable government. Panama uses U.S. currency (so no money conversion) and remains all year on Eastern Standard Time.

In the U.S., meanwhile, political unrest, gun violence, and extremist decisions by the Supreme Court have only strengthened our belief that retiring in Panama was the right move for us.

This small Central American country of 4.5 million has it all—sleek glass skyscrapers, stucco homes with red terracotta roofs and wrought-iron balconies, corrugated metal stalls, and crumbling stone ruins. Indigenous women sell hand-sewn molas in the parks, there’s a mini-mart on every corner, and luxury retail stores fill the city’s modern shopping malls.

That contrast extends to the environment. Panama is one of only three “carbon negative” countries in the world, thanks to 63% forest coverage that captures more gas than the country emits. The largest wind farm in Central America is in Penonome, and wind accounts for 7% of Panama’s power generation capacity.

At the same time, city residents put trash bags out on the sidewalks to be picked up, garbage is routinely burned, and recycling programs are rare. Still, in 2014 Panama opened the first museum in the world dedicated to biodiversity, designed by architect Frank Gehry, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

We had heard stories from travelers before us that it would be easy to live on a fraction of the monthly budget we were used to paying in the U.S. And in some rural areas of Panama that's probably still true. But there's a catch: development comes at a cost.

View of city at night

Panama is among the most developed of the Central American countries, and many of the things that attracted us to the country—safe drinking water, reliable electricity, fast internet, good health care, infrastructure, and security—drive up the cost of living.

Indeed, the capital of Panama was ranked as the third most expensive city in Latin America to live in, after Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Montevideo, Uruguay, the La Prensa newspaper reported in June.

Since 2021, Panama has risen from the 117th most expensive city to live in globally to the 107th most expensive, La Prensa said, citing the latest ranking from ECA International, a consulting firm that has published cost of living reports since 2005.

But bottom line, except for the occasional protest, Panama remains an affordable, comfortable, and peaceful place for us to live.

Reality Check on Apartment Living in Panama City

In hindsight, we spent too little time looking for an apartment and negotiating rent, so ended up paying more than we might have. On the other hand, we live in an excellent location directly across from the Cinta Costera, a tree-lined park with soccer courts, fountains, exercise equipment, and a long, paved trail for runners and cyclists.

The Cinta Costera was a major $189 million waterfront reclamation project completed in 2009. David walks about 10 km of its trails every morning, stopping to feed the cats who live there. In the evenings, the park is filled with vendors selling hot food, souvenirs, and shave ice.

PH Sky Residences on Avenida Balboa

Our apartment building has a rooftop pool with stunning views of Panama Bay, as well as a lap pool and gym above the parking garage. For security the building has fingerprint scanners to access doors and elevators.

We rented a fully furnished apartment, but that can mean different things in Panama. Ours came with furniture and electronics, but we had to buy linens and dishes. The kitchen had a microwave, but not a toaster oven or coffee maker. Even so it would have been more expensive to ship those items from the U.S. than to buy them in Panama.

We also came to discover the never-ending maintenance of our 2009 apartment building. In the last year, painters spent two months on the building’s exterior, the pools were closed three months each for renovations, and the elevator to our apartment was out of service at least once a month for repairs.

The four ductless air conditioners in our apartment were so old and inefficient our landlord eventually replaced one of them. The kitchen faucet, water pipes, and washing machine all needed repairs during the year, and one of the TV sets died. The biggest project involved resetting several large tiles that were falling off the bathroom walls.

Our coffee view

We had ants in the kitchen for about three months in the spring, which we learned was an annual event. We also learned marble tile floors tend to chip easily, and mold must be cleaned regularly from the air conditioner and dehumidifier filters.

Most inconvenient, gas to the building was cut off for 20 days in July for a government-required inspection that occurs every three years. That meant no hot water, clothes dryer, oven, or stovetop cooking.

To get us through, our landlord installed a temporary electric water heater (which routinely tripped the circuit breaker) and loaned us an electric burner for cooking. I hung clothes near a sunny window to dry, and took sheets and towels to a same-day lavandería—$6 per load for wash, dry, and fold service.

Great views though!