Panama Hartmann Estate Caturra Red Wine Process Coffee Beans: Grading, Pricing, Green Beans and Roasting

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Coffee Information

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán Region

Altitude: 1250-1700 Meters

Processing Method: Red Wine Processing

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Hartmann Estate

Flavor Notes: Smoked wood spices, berries, fruit wine aroma

Panama Hartmann Estate Caturra Red Wine Processing

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste Profile: Neutral
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Level: Medium roast

Hartmann Estate Introduction

The story of Hartmann is as legendary as its coffee. Hartmann Estate is located in Santa Clara, Chiriquí Province. The founder was Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann). He was born on June 20, 1891, in the Moravia region of Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic, and died on May 25, 1970, at the age of 78.

When World War I began, he was just a young boy who was abandoned. Thanks to his mother, he managed to hide on a ship bound for Pennsylvania, USA, and survived. His two brothers both died in the war after joining the military. Luis Hartmann traveled through several countries with his friends until he arrived in Panama in 1911 and settled in Chiriquí Province in 1912, mainly active in the Candela area. He built the first small cabin in this primeval forest.

Today, Hartmann Estate is a family business founded in 1940 by Ratibor Hartmann (son of Luis Hartmann). In 1966, Ratibor married Dinora Sandi from Costa Rica. They had five children together: Ratibor Jr., Alan, Alexander, Alicia, and Kelly. Each family member takes on different responsibilities in coffee cultivation management, harvesting and processing, and estate tours. A family estate that has been growing coffee for over 100 years is itself a legendary story.

This family business has a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room. They rigorously cup each batch of coffee cherries. This ensures the stable quality of Hartmann Estate's coffee and their constant pursuit of improvement. Their scientific approach to coffee and nearly 100 years of family experience guarantee their excellent output.

A legendary estate with a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room. Rigorous attitude and strict standards ensure the stable quality of Hartmann Estate's coffee.

This batch is red wine processed Caturra variety, which emits an extremely rich fruit wine aroma from the first grind, accompanied by fresh smoked wood spice notes, plus the special berry sweet aroma from natural processing. Just smelling its fragrance is intoxicating. Upon tasting, it's accompanied by rich tropical fruit flavors, like a cocktail carefully blended with passion fruit, mango, orange, and berry juices with peach liquor!! No, this is simply a cocktail from nature!!

Among all coffee growing regions on Earth, very few have successfully experimented with red wine-like processing methods. After years of testing, this processing method can finally control the acid structure in coffee. Coffee fermented through red wine-like processing greatly enhances the sweetness, cleanliness, and multi-layered complex yet elegant acidity in coffee. This fermentation method significantly improves the quality and uniqueness of coffee output.

Red wine processing, also called controlled fermentation method, or lactic/acetic acid fermentation method

The experimental team is led by American Felipe Sardi, composed of biological scientists and ecologists who apply technologies such as solar energy to cultivation and green bean processing.

The specialized hand-picking team is trained and strictly follows the requirements for specialty coffee bean picking: unripe berries < 2%, defective beans < 3%, floaters < 5%.

Acetic Acid Fermentation Method — Aerobic Fermentation

Lactic Acid Fermentation Method — Anaerobic Fermentation

Flavor Expectations

Acetic Acid Fermentation: Cleaner, lively acidity, brighter acid quality, citric acid

Lactic Acid Fermentation: More rounded mouthfeel, slightly less clean than acetic acid fermentation, higher body, malic/tartaric acid

Previously, processing mills used traditional manual operation methods passed down through generations, such as biting beans to feel the fermentation degree. This fermentation method is uncontrollable and variable.

The controlled fermentation method uses pH control to monitor the fermentation degree. This achieves predictable results and consistent output for each batch.

Caturra Variety

Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its yield and disease resistance are better than Bourbon, and the plant is shorter, making harvesting convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it has the problem of biennial yield cycles. However, it has strong adaptability, doesn't need shade trees, and can thrive directly under the hot sun, earning it the name "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilizer, increasing costs, so farmers initially had low acceptance.

But in the 1970s, when coffee prices soared, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With strong promotion from Brazilian and Colombian authorities, results were abundant. Farmers' acceptance of Caturra meant a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-style planting. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing productivity by 60%. No wonder high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become the variety that various producing countries rely on.

Caturra is suitable for planting from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, with strong altitude adaptability. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, but relatively lower yield—this is the destiny of specialty beans. Some academics call Caturra the intensive and sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which is quite apt. There is also a yellow Caturra (Caturra Amarello) variant in Central and South America, but its reputation is not as good as Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra has obvious acidic aroma and overall brightness. With proper processing, sweetness can perform very well, but the coffee body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the mouthfeel cleanliness is somewhat lacking.

Usually Caturra has red berries, but in extremely rare areas there are yellow Caturra, such as the very small amount of yellow Caturra grown in Hawaii.

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Hartmann. 15g coffee, medium grind (Fuji RYUKIU ghost tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour with 30g water for 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops halfway before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473