We have planted around 5000 plants this year and the end is in sight. 

We were very nearly done a couple of weeks ago.  Sadly, the plants were unavailable to finish, so we were left with 500 empty holes and no baby coffee to fill them. 

Today, we secured the plants for the holes.  They were grown by a fine nurseryman in Boquete, seen in the dapper straw hat.  Although they were expensive they are beautiful plants.    By the end of the week or maybe sometime next, we will be all done with planting for a another year.

Phew.  That was quite a job.

What a fun day at Best of Panama.  16 International judges and lots of coffee farmers.  Whilst I was building up my confidence to cup and score the coffee, I started scoring shoes.    These were boys with some very serious footwear.  Must be a correlation between fine coffee and fine shoes.  Let me explain:

The man in charge from Norway, the (teeny weeny bit kinky) black boots with heels.  Paired with tight jeans and a t-shirt under the green apron, perfect choice for our 'to the point' Master of Ceremonies.  Bossy boots, maybe, but nice job!   Takes a certain sort to cut through black forest cake and chocolate mousse to get to the meat of the issue.

A couple of cuppers from Greece and here you have a Greek figure skater coming to help his friend translate into Spanish and English.  Actually, the shoes were but a small part of the look.   Very buff, owns a gym back home, great guy!

Reckon these were the most expensive shoes.  American very trendy.  Very serious designer  foot ware.  You were noticed, at least by me!

What can I say, international judge from Australia - you have some seriously nicely worn designer Spanish shoes.  Understated chic.  Goes well with the hair do.  Nice look.

Loved the white plimsols on the shy young man from Huddersfield, our only Brit in a green apron/international judge.   Went well with white t-shirt and baseball cap.   Also, liked his taste in coffee, very bullish about the honey process.  Good man.

Loved the wabi sabi understated look from Japan.  Lovely older leather, older guys.  So much experience, real gentlemen and a different coffee tasting vocabulary.  No pop-corn flavors for them.  Cherry blossom and plum.

Here is a sample of the rest of the judges and cuppers shoes.     It takes a certain flare to describe coffee as a green forest, intense with a touch of thyme, earthy nice mushroom, sugar lime candy....to name but a few...actually, a very few of the many wonderfully descriptions of our coffee I heard today.  

The story would not be complete without a few coffee farmers shoes.  As you would expect a practical lot.   My favorite, I am cross with myself that I did not shoot a pic, I leave a space in her honor and might get one later in the week.   One of the most creative and talented women in coffee in Panama wore hiking boots, serious ones that went well with her seriously practical outfit complete with hair net.     Our Presidencia, she wore sandals.......nice comfortable practical choice, no nail polish.   One of the big boys in CR and Panama exclusive coffees, with a go to market label of his grandfather's photo.....well he just had another great pair of practical shoes you would expect up here in the Mountains.   What was I wearing........very boring, I did not score at all.