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Panama Duncan Estate Boquete Natural Caturra Coffee Bean Varieties, Brand Recommendations and Estate

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange - Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style) Caturra is a single-gene variety of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its productivity and disease resistance are superior to Bourbon, and its plant height is shorter, making harvesting more convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it also suffers from the cyclical problem of biennial productivity fluctuations. However, it has strong adaptability, doesn't require shade trees, and can be grown directly

About Caturra Coffee

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Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. It offers better yield and disease resistance than Bourbon, with shorter plant height that facilitates harvesting. However, like Bourbon, it suffers from biennial production cycles. Despite this, Caturra shows strong adaptability - it thrives in direct sunlight without shade trees, earning the name "Sun Coffee," and adapts well to high-density planting. However, it requires more fertilization, increasing costs, which led to low initial acceptance among coffee farmers.

However, when coffee prices surged in the 1970s, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With strong promotion from Brazilian and Colombian authorities, the results were remarkable. Farmers' acceptance of Caturra signified a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun cultivation methods. By 1990, one million hectares could produce 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing productivity by 60%. It's no wonder that high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become the dominant variety relied upon by coffee-producing countries worldwide.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, showing strong altitude adaptability. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though yield decreases accordingly - this is the destiny of specialty coffee. Academics have described Caturra as the intensive, sun-cultivated version of Bourbon - a truly insightful observation. There is also a yellow variety of Caturra (Caturra Amarello) in Central and South America, but its reputation doesn't match that of Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be remarkably well-expressed. However, compared to Bourbon, Caturra has relatively lower body and somewhat lacks in mouthfeel cleanliness.

Caturra typically produces red cherries, but there are extremely rare regions with yellow Caturra, such as Hawaii, where very small quantities of yellow Caturra are cultivated.

Pour-Over Brewing Guide

Duncan pour-over method: 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fuji mountain-style 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 in the coffee bed drops halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Discard the final portion. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, total extraction time 2:00.

Roasting and Processing

Roast level: Medium roast

The Duncan Estate produces unique "Premium Picking" and "Reserva Picking" methods, which push coffee to extremely high quality and flavor levels, though at the cost of significantly reduced production. KOTOWA's key focus in implementing "Premium Picking" is that coffee cherries must reach wine-red color (Overipe Dark Color) before harvesting, and processing must begin "immediately" and "rapidly" after picking! The cost of achieving this flavor is enormous. Another method, "Reserva Picking," is also known as fully-ripe picking (Quickly Processed).

"Reserva Picking" doesn't rely solely on color as the harvesting standard - it must also assess sweetness and the quality of fruit pulp sweetness! Besides requiring 100% fully red cherries, they must also have 100% converted fruit sweetness before picking, only being harvested when they offer a velvety sweetness!

Origin and Terroir

Region: Boquete Specialty Region

Altitude: 1250-1700 Meters

Situated in the Baru volcanic region, the estate enjoys unique microclimate and volcanic terrain. The growing season features abundant rainfall and distinct wet and dry seasons. Combined with volcanic lava flows, fertile volcanic black soil, and excellent drainage, these conditions create an exceptionally advantageous growing environment that produces particularly captivating coffee aromas. The altitude here exceeds 1700 meters with strong winds, and the estate contains numerous giant coniferous trees, some over 200 years old.

Kotowa also places great importance on ecological preservation, completely avoiding any chemical fertilizers. Instead, they use cherry skins and pulp to create high-nutrient compost that nourishes the coffee trees and gives back to the land. This not only earned Kotowa Coffee a nomination from Panama's environmental agency as a recipient of the National Environmental Protection Award in 2006, but has also created the unique flavor profile of Duncan Estate coffee, producing exceptionally high-quality coffee beans that consistently achieve top rankings in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition.