Hacienda Barbara

About the Coffee

Hacienda Barbara is a farm in Boquete, Panama, run by Hunter Tedman and Linda Arauz. Boquete sits in the highlands of Chiriqui province, where volcanic soils and consistent elevation create growing conditions that have put Panama on the specialty coffee map for decades. While most attention in the region goes to gesha varieties, Tedman and Arauz focus on catuai, a traditional variety that tends to get overlooked in favor of newer, trendier options.

The coffee is processed using the washed method, which involves removing the fruit from the cherry before fermentation and drying. This approach puts the focus squarely on the bean itself rather than any flavors picked up from prolonged fruit contact during drying. Tedman and Arauz have built a reputation for consistency and precision in how they handle this process, which has translated into results: Hacienda Barbara has placed at the top of the Best of Panama competition multiple times since their first entry in 2016.

Panama is a small producing country, and Boquete is its most recognized growing region. Farms here sit between roughly 1,400 and 1,800 meters, and the combination of altitude, rich volcanic soil, and reliable seasonal patterns gives producers like Hacienda Barbara a strong foundation to work with. The catuai variety used here has been grown in Central America for over 50 years and is known for producing dense, uniform beans that hold up well through careful processing.

About Monogram

Monogram was started in Calgary by three friends, Ben, Justin, and Jeremy, who met while working as baristas. They came from different backgrounds, music, health sciences, and software development, but shared an interest in specialty coffee and a frustration with how unwelcoming that world could feel. They started Monogram with the idea that good coffee should be easy for anyone to get into, and launched their first cafe in Altadore in 2014.

On the sourcing side, Monogram has built long-term relationships with specific producers rather than buying on the spot market. They work directly with farms like Finca Takesi in Bolivia, Finca Deborah in Panama, and Daterra in Brazil. Ben Put, one of the founding team members, has won the Canadian Barista Championship seven times and placed third at the 2025 World Barista Championship, which gives you a sense of how seriously the team approaches the quality side of what they do.