Panama Iletta Coffee Flavor Profile and Panama Iletta Estate Characteristics

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

Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed

Country: Panama

Grade: SHB

Region: Santa Clara

Altitude: Average 1,600 meters

Processing method: Washed

For pour-over Panama Eleta: Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fujimac 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 halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15. Extraction time: 2:00.

The Eleta Estate (Café de Eleta) is located in the small Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rica border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that is part of the Central American ecological habitat. The Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially, it focused on vegetable cultivation and livestock operations. Coffee planting began in 1995, named Café de Eleta S.A., and continued to expand its land area. Today, it spans 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee estates and one of the most renowned Best of Panama coffees. With abundant water resources, it operates a private 530KW hydropower plant that not only supplies its own electricity needs but also sells excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Eleta Estate

Flavor profile: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

Panama coffee has become the most sought-after 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, which has driven coffee enthusiasts into a frenzy. Consequently, Geisha has been acclaimed as the world's finest coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Best of Panama competition auction is held independently from the Central American cupping competitions and is also the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee impresses not only with its Geisha variety but also continuously innovates in mid-stage green bean processing. Beyond traditional washed processing, it features honey processing popular in neighboring Costa Rica, and also produces small quantities of naturally processed beans, gradually emerging in Central America, attracting global coffee attention.

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica varieties. This mysterious and extraordinary beverage soon conquered the senses of Panamanians, who began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is exceptionally smooth, with full, lightweight beans and perfectly balanced acidity. Its premium coffee beans offer pure, distinctive flavors. Due to its widespread popularity, most of Panama's premium coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Major Panama Coffee Growing Regions:

Boquete Region: This area produces abundant, high-quality coffee, making it Panama's most productive region with excellent quality.

Volcan Region: Coffee from this region features mild, balanced flavors and is gradually gaining attention from international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is expected to soon rival the Boquete region.

Santa Clara Region: Fertile coffee plantations are irrigated by the clear waters from the Chorerra waterfall, and proximity to the Panama Canal facilitates convenient transportation of fresh, pure Panama coffee to worldwide markets.

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

This batch of coffee exhibits the purest original flavors. Because the Eleta Estate SHB washed coffee is harvested from high-altitude Catuai coffee beans, it carries intense fruit and floral aromas. Flavor characteristics: creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, sugarcane sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour notes, pleasant mouthfeel.

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant structure is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. Due to its Bourbon heritage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for Brazilian growing conditions and therefore was not widely cultivated there. Instead, it flourished throughout Central and South America, with large-scale cultivation in countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, most people are probably more concerned with Caturra's flavor profile. When grown at higher altitudes, Caturra produces higher quality beans but with correspondingly lower yields. When lightly roasted, Caturra displays pronounced acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be exceptional, though the body is typically lower than Bourbon, and the cleanness of the cup may be somewhat lacking.

Caturra typically produces red cherries, but in extremely rare regions, yellow Caturra can be found. For example, Hawaii cultivates very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Currently, coffee bean grading systems are not standardized worldwide. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and terminology. Therefore, you might see the following terms on coffee packaging: "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberry," etc. These are coffee bean grade classifications. Retail roasted coffee beans sometimes indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. Typically, more detailed grading information indicates better coffee quality. However, most commercial coffee does not display this information.

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473