Panama Candela Estate Coffee Flavor Profile and Characteristics

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Premium Panamanian coffee grows in the country's west, near the Costa Rican border and close to the Pacific. The most famous coffee comes from the Boquete district of Chiriquí province, with Volcán, Santa Clara, and Candela also well known; other regions include the David district, Remacimeinto district, Bugaba district, and Tole district. Only coffee grown between 1,300 and 1,500 meters counts as specialty grade.

"Catuai" is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra—essentially a second-generation cross. It inherits Caturra's compact tree height, and the name comes from an indigenous word meaning "very good." As a member of the Arabica family, Catuai is relatively high-yielding.

Pour-over Panama Flint Estate: 15g of coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost-tooth burr grinder at #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the water level drops to half, pour slowly up to 225g and discard the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Manufacturer Information

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: Distinctive Flint-producing area

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Honey process

Variety: Catuai

Processing Mill: Flint Estate

Flavor Notes: Lemon, orange, cranberry, green tea

Cupping Notes: Dried-fruit aroma, rich fruit acidity, noticeable sweetness on entry, lemon, orange, cranberry, and green tea notes, even and smooth texture, soft with hints of florals, and a long-lasting aftertaste.

About Catuai:

Catuai owes much of its character to its parents. Mundo Novo contributes vigor and sweetness, while Caturra passes along its naturally short stature and productivity. The result is a dependable, forgiving variety that suits the mid-altitude slopes of western Panama particularly well, and in the hands of careful mills like Flint Estate, honey processing draws out a sweetness that plain washed lots rarely reach.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Panama's coffee belt hugs the country's west—Boquete, Volcán, Santa Clara, and Piedra de Candela—where fertile volcanic soil and old-growth forest sit squarely in the heart of the coffee zone. If honey Catuai is your entry point, plenty of upgrades await. For the classic Panama cup, try FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Geisha, an estate-level entry Geisha grown at 1,600 meters on volcanic ash soil: misty days, cool nights, and slow cherry maturation yield jasmine florals with green tea, honey, citrus, and orange.

Want Geisha character without the Geisha price? FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Washed Butterfly blends Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai—half Geisha lineage—planted on the Barú volcano in Boquete. The abundant rain, wide day-night temperature swings, and volcanic rock soil there give it outstanding body, citrus acidity, and jasmine aroma; it's equally good as pour-over or cold brew. And at the very top sits FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red-Label Geisha, harvested from a single plot above 1,700 meters and cupping at 91+, with that refined orange-blossom-and-honey character that made Panama the legend it is. Finally, FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Mountain—sourced from Esmeralda's Jaramillo and Canas Verdes farms, mostly Caturra and Catuai—shows how far those same varieties as our honey Catuai can go under prime volcanic soil and forest shade: abundant fruit aroma and sweetness, and one of Esmeralda's most popular non-Geisha brands.