Panama Illeta SHB Caturra Premium Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters

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Panama Coffee: The Rising Star of Central America

Panama coffee has become the most popular coffee origin in Central America over the past 5-6 years, primarily due to the Geisha variety cultivated by the Peterson family at Hacienda La Esmeralda. This exceptional coffee has captivated coffee enthusiasts worldwide, earning recognition as one of the world's finest coffee beans. Consequently, the Panama Cup of Excellence auction is held independently from the Central and South American cupping competitions, making it the earliest auction country held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee impresses not only with its Geisha variety but also with continuous innovations in green bean processing methods. Beyond traditional washed processing, the country has adopted honey processing prevalent in neighboring Costa Rica, and produces small quantities of natural processed beans, attracting global attention from coffee professionals.

Historical Background and Characteristics

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica coffee trees. This mysterious and captivating beverage gradually conquered the palates of Panamanians, leading to widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is known for its smooth character, full-bodied yet lightweight beans, and perfectly balanced acidity. Its premium coffee beans offer pure, distinctive flavors. Due to their popularity, most of Panama's high-quality coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Major Coffee Growing Regions

Panama's main coffee producing regions include:

Boquete: This region produces abundant quantities of high-quality coffee, making it the most productive and finest quality area for Panama coffee.

Volcán: Coffee from this area is characterized by mild, balanced flavors and has gradually gained attention from international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is expected to soon rival the Boquete region in reputation.

Santa Clara: Fertile coffee farms are irrigated by the clear waters of the Chorerra waterfall, and proximity to the Panama Canal allows fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently transported worldwide.

Piedra de Candela: This region shows the greatest potential for developing high-quality specialty coffee.

Ileta Estate SHB Washed Coffee

This particular coffee offers the most pristine original flavors. The Ileta Estate SHB washed coffee is harvested from high-altitude Catuai coffee beans, featuring intense fruity and floral notes. Flavor characteristics include creamy bread, apricot sweetness, cane sugar sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour notes, and a pleasant mouthfeel.

The Caturra Variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon Arabica variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant structure is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. While inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for Brazilian growing conditions and therefore wasn't widely cultivated there. Instead, it thrives throughout Central and South America, with extensive plantings in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, coffee lovers are more concerned with Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the cultivation altitude, the better the quality, though corresponding yields decrease. When lightly roasted, Caturra displays prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, it can exhibit excellent sweetness, though its body is relatively light compared to Bourbon, and its flavor cleanliness may be somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in very rare regions, yellow Caturra can be found, such as the minimal plantings of yellow Caturra in Hawaii.

Coffee Bean Grading Systems

Currently, coffee bean grading systems are not standardized worldwide. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and terminology. Therefore, you might see various designations on coffee packaging such as "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberries" (small beans), among others. These are coffee bean grading names. Commercially sold roasted coffee beans sometimes indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. More detailed grading information typically represents better coffee quality, though most regular coffee does not display such information.

Brewing Recommendations

Hand-brewed Panama Ileta: Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth grinder setting 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 drops to halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Flavor profile: Neutral
Coffee bean state: Roasted beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Coffee type: Other

Detailed Specifications

Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed

Country: Panama
Grade: SHB
Region: Santa Clara
Altitude: Average 1,600 meters
Processing method: Washed

Café de Eleta is located in the Santa Clara region, a small area situated just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve and Central American ecological habitat. The Ileta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially focused on vegetable cultivation and livestock operations, it began coffee cultivation in 1995 under the name Café de Eleta S.A., continuously expanding land area. Today, it spans 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large coffee plantations and one of the country's most renowned premium coffees. With abundant water resources, the estate operates a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant, supplying its own electricity needs and selling excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Variety: Caturra
Estate: Ileta Estate
Flavor notes: Creamy bread, apricot sweetness, rounded acidity

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473