Panama Illata Estate SHB Caturra Premium Coffee Beans: Varieties, Brand Recommendations and Estate

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Caturra Coffee Variety

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. Although it inherits Bourbon's bloodline, its disease resistance is relatively weak, but its yield is higher than Bourbon. Despite being discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for growing there and therefore wasn't cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South American regions, with countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua cultivating Caturra extensively.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, you might be more concerned about Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the altitude where Caturra is grown, the higher the quality, but correspondingly, the lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits distinct acidity and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be exceptionally well-expressed. However, compared to Bourbon, Caturra has relatively lower body and somewhat lacks in cleanliness of mouthfeel.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in extremely rare regions, there are yellow Caturra varieties. For example, Hawaii cultivates very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Coffee Bean Classification System

Currently, coffee bean classification systems are not standardized worldwide. Each coffee-producing country has its own classification system and classification names. Therefore, you might see the following terms on coffee packaging: "SHB", "AA+", "Supremo", "Extra-Fancy", "Peaberry/Small beans", etc. These are all coffee bean classification names. Roasted coffee beans sold on the market sometimes indicate the classification of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the coffee classification information, typically the better the coffee quality. However, most commercial coffees do not indicate this information.

Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed

Brewing Method

Panama Eleta hand-drip brewing method: 15g of coffee grounds, medium grind (using Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, total extraction time is 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: House-roasted coffee beans
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Flavor profile: Balanced
Bean state: Roasted coffee beans
Contains sugar: No
Origin: Panama
Coffee type: Other

Coffee Details

Country: Panama
Grade: SHB
Region: Santa Clara
Altitude: Average 1,600 meters
Processing method: Washed
Variety: Caturra
Estate: Eleta Estate
Flavor notes: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

Café de Eleta is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that belongs to the Central American ecological habitat. Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially, it was used for vegetable cultivation and livestock operations. Coffee cultivation didn't begin until 1995, when it was named Café de Eleta S.A. The land area continued to expand, and today it covers 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large coffee plantations and one of the best-known Panama coffees. Due to abundant water resources, there is a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant that not only supplies sufficient electricity for self-use but also sells excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Panama Coffee Overview

Panama coffee has been the most popular country in Central America for the past 5-6 years, mainly because the Geisha variety grown by the Peterson family at Hacienda La Esmeralda has driven coffee enthusiasts crazy. Consequently, Geisha has been acclaimed as the world's top coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Coffee Excellence Cup auction is independent of the Central American cupping competition and is also the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee is impressive not only in the Geisha variety but also continuously innovates in mid-level green bean processing. It not only has traditional washed processing but also honey processing, which is most popular in neighboring Costa Rica. Additionally, the gradually forming natural process in Central America is also produced in small quantities in Panama, attracting the attention of coffee professionals worldwide.

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica varieties. Afterward, this mysterious and exotic beverage conquered the senses of Panamanians, and locals began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is very smooth, with full, lightweight beans and perfectly balanced acidity. Its high-quality coffee beans offer pure, distinctive flavors. Due to its widespread popularity, most of Panama's high-quality coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Main Coffee Growing Regions in Panama

Boquete Region: This area produces coffee in large quantities with excellent quality, making it the region with the highest production and best quality in Panama.

Volcan Region: Coffee produced in this area is characterized by mild, balanced flavors and has gradually attracted the attention of international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is believed that it will soon rival the Boquete region.

Santa Clara Region: Fertile coffee plantations are irrigated and nourished by the clear river water from the Chorerra waterfall. Combined with its proximity to the Panama Canal, fresh, pure Panama coffee can be conveniently transported to various parts of the world.

Piedra de Candela Region: This region is considered to have the greatest potential for developing high-quality specialty coffee.

This batch of coffee exhibits the most pure original flavor. Because Eleta Estate's SHB washed coffee is harvested from high-altitude Caturra coffee beans, it carries intense fruity and floral notes. Flavor characteristics include: creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, cane sugar sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour notes, and pleasant mouthfeel.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473