The Story of Panama Duncan Estate: Premium Natural Caturra Coffee Beans from Boquete

In the coffee world, Panama holds a pivotal position for producing exceptional Geisha coffee, and consequently, many local estates have become well-known along with the fame of their coffee, such as the Kotowa family that FrontStreet Coffee is introducing today.

The coffee history of Kotowa Estate is remarkably long, with the story of its first-generation owner dating back to the late 19th century.

As a Canadian, Alexander Duncan MacIntyre was born in 1873 and initially started his career in the fruit trade business with his brother Joseph Albert McIntyre. Later, both brothers entered politics successively, with Alexander even becoming the youngest mayor of Port Alberni.

In 1916, his brother Joseph purchased a farm named Finca Carolin in Boquete, Panama. Although he only spent a brief period there, he returned to Canada full of praise for this land. Meanwhile, Alexander had also read several articles introducing Boquete in newspapers and was captivated by this land full of primitive charm, beginning his journey into the unknown with curiosity and longing.

In 1925, Alexander decided to move from North America to settle in Boquete, Panama, where he married a local woman named Angela Rosas. Like other immigrants, he chose to cultivate and farm on this land. After renaming the farm to La Carolina, Alexander built a small coffee processing plant, thus beginning the coffee cultivation story of the Kotowa family and opening a new chapter for four generations to thrive here.

The Ideal Terroir of Kotowa Estate

Kotowa is situated at the foot of Baru Volcano in western Panama, where lush vegetation, unique microclimates, and fertile volcanic soil create perfect conditions. Moisture from the Atlantic converges at slopes reaching 2500 meters altitude, condensing to form rainfall. During the dry season, longer sunshine hours provide abundant water resources and sunlight for the coffee trees growing here, allowing them to fully absorb nutrients.

Currently, Kotowa Estate has passed to the third generation and is jointly managed by Mr. Ricardo Koyner and his daughter Victoria.

The Legacy of Ricardo Koyner

Notably, besides being an estate owner, Mr. Ricardo also holds another identity - he is one of the founders of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) and served as the first president of SCAP. Beginning in the 1990s, many Panamanian coffee farmers recognized the challenges facing the industry and sought development opportunities. They turned to the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) for help. After several years of effort, seven coffee farmer representatives began promoting the establishment of a Panama-specific coffee organization in 1996 to help enhance the overall competitiveness of the country's coffee.

After taking over the estate, Mr. Ricardo recognized the importance of branding and formally named his farm Cafe Kotowa Farms. In addition to preserving the green bean processing plant left by his grandfather, he also purchased equipment such as coffee roasters and opened brand coffee shops locally, with the goal of directly selling "Kotowa" branded products to broader markets such as Europe and America.

Compared to other estates, the equipment in Kotowa's processing plant is water-powered. The entire machine is driven by wooden gears of different sizes and hand-stitched animal hides that serve as transmission links. In an era of resource scarcity, this was undoubtedly considered very advanced equipment. Even more precious is that this equipment remains fully intact today and is displayed within the estate, allowing visitors to experience the authentic history of Panama's coffee industry.

The Seven Farms of Kotowa

Today, Kotowa has a total of seven farms under its banner, five of which are well-known to coffee enthusiasts: Finca Kotowa DUNCAN (Duncan Estate), Finca Kotowa Don K (Don K Estate), Finca RIO CRISTAL (Crystal River Estate), Finca Kotowa TRADICIONAL (Traditional Kotowa Estate), and Finca Kotowa LAS BRUJAS (Witches Estate). The other two new farms, Mango and Redondo, have not yet released coffee to the market.

According to research by FrontStreet Coffee, the word "Kotowa" originates from the local Ngäbe indigenous language, meaning "high mountain." Kotowa's logo is modeled after the main force in Panama's coffee fruit harvesting - the local indigenous group called Gnobe Bugle, whom locals also refer to as "Guaymíes."

The Stories Behind the Estate Names

To commemorate the first-generation farm owner, Duncan Estate is named after Mr. Ricardo's grandfather Alexander. Don K Estate honors his father Richard Koyner, with "Don" meaning "Mister" in Spanish. Witches Estate gets its name from the stream in front of it, as the flowing water often makes sounds, resembling the "howling" of witches from the primitive forest. Crystal River Estate, as the name suggests, was given this melodious name because when the river rolls under the sunlight, you can see a dazzling, crystal-like brilliance.

Due to the estates' repeated excellent performances in competitions, the "Kotowa" brand has long been a household name locally. When Kotowa coffee is mentioned in China, FrontStreet Coffee believes many friends, like ourselves, first think of Duncan Estate, which frequently appears in various competitions, and Witches Estate, which has continuously won awards in recent years.

Duncan Estate Natural Caturra

FrontStreet Coffee has acquired the natural processed Caturra from Duncan Estate. Friends who regularly read FrontStreet Coffee's articles know that the maturity of coffee cherries during harvesting greatly impacts the final quality. To present the fullest coffee aroma, Kotowa Estate requires workers to gently remove the coffee cherries when they turn wine-red, and quickly process them after harvesting to avoid excessive pulp fermentation that could produce unpleasant flavors.

Coffee Information

FrontStreet Coffee: Duncan Estate Caturra Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete, Duncan Estate

Variety: Caturra

Altitude: 1650-1750 meters

Processing: Natural

Flavor Notes: Floral, red grape, dried fruit, prune, fermented sensation

Roasting and Cupping Notes

To highlight its fragrant floral and fruit characteristics while emphasizing caramelized sweetness, we adopted a medium-light roast level and promptly conducted cupping.

This Duncan Estate Natural Caturra presents subtle pink floral notes and rich fruit aroma in its dry fragrance, first reminding FrontStreet Coffee of fruits like cranberries, dried fruits, and grapes. After breaking the crust and removing grounds, the coffee reveals mature Kyoho grape and prune flavors upon entry, along with honey-like sweet notes. As the temperature slightly cools, hawthorn acidity gradually emerges, accompanied by brown sugar undertones, adding another layer of complexity to the entire cup.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473