Flavor Characteristics, Origin, and Brewing Parameters of Panama Finca La Miel Honey Process Catuai SHB Coffee Beans

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Catuai is a second-generation hybrid: a cross of Mundo Novo and Caturra that inherits Caturra's biggest advantage, a naturally short tree. The name comes from an indigenous language and means "very good" — fitting for a variety that, as a member of the Arabica family, produces reliably high yields.

For a hand-poured Panama Jurutungo from Flint Estate: dose 15g at a medium grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder, setting 4) and brew on a V60 dripper with water at 88-89°C. Start with a 30g bloom pour and rest 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait for the water level in the bed to drop to half, then keep pouring slowly until you reach 225g total. Discard the tail of the extraction. Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Panama Jurutungo Honey Catuai

Country: Panama
Grade: SHB
Region: Flint growing region
Roast Degree: Medium roast
Processing Method: Honey process
Variety: Catuai
Processing Mill: Flint Estate
Flavor Notes: Lemon, orange, cranberry, green tea

Where Panama Grows Its Best Coffee

Panama's premium coffees come from the west of the country, near the Costa Rican border and close to the Pacific. The most celebrated coffee comes from the Boquete district of Chiriquí province, with Volcán, Santa Clara, and Candela also well regarded; other producing districts include David, Remacimeinto, Bugaba, and Tole. Only coffee grown between 1,300 and 1,500 meters qualifies as specialty grade.

Cupping Notes

A dried-fruit aroma opens things up, followed by rich fruit acidity and a distinct sweetness across the palate. Expect lemon, orange, cranberry, and green tea. The texture is even and smooth — soft, with a subtle floral undertone — and the aftertaste lingers long after the cup is empty.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this honey-processed Catuai gives you a taste for Panamanian coffee, the country's signature lot is worth trying next: FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Geisha. Boquete's mountains sit under drifting cloud cover — humid days, cool nights — and the volcanic soil from Baru Volcano feeds trees grown at 1,600 meters, where slower cherry ripening concentrates flavor. In the cup you get the character only Geisha delivers: jasmine florals, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange.

For something with Geisha heritage at a friendlier price, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Flower Butterfly is half Geisha by lineage — a planting of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai on the volcanic slopes of Baru in Boquete. The region's generous rainfall, wide day-night temperature swings, and volcanic rock soils, combined with meticulous harvesting and processing, give it impressive body, bright citrus acidity, and prominent jasmine aroma. It shines both as a pour-over and as a cold brew.

And when you're ready for the top of the tree, go for FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label Geisha: cherries picked from a single plot above 1,700 meters, cupping at 91 or higher, with the estate's signature refined orange-blossom sweetness — the definitive expression of Panama's most famous coffee.