Panama Iletta Coffee Bean Characteristics and Panama Iletta Estate Coffee Brewing Methods

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Caturra: A Bourbon Natural Variation

Caturra is a natural variation of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. While inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well suited to growing there and so was never cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, with countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua cultivating it extensively.

More important than these botanical traits is Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the elevation, the better the quality, but correspondingly the lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra shows prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can perform exceptionally well, though its body is relatively lower than Bourbon and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in extremely rare regions there are also yellow Caturra varieties. Hawaii, for example, cultivates very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Coffee Bean Grading Systems

Coffee grading systems worldwide are not currently unified. Each producing country has its own grading system and grade names. You may therefore see terms such as "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," and "Peaberry / Small beans" on coffee labels. These are bean grade names. Commercially sold roasted beans sometimes indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the grading indication, the better the coffee quality is typically assumed to be, though most general coffees do not display this information.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Qianjie Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Flavor Profile: Neutral
Coffee Bean State: Roasted beans
Contains Sugar: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Coffee Type: Other

Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed

Country: Panama
Grade: SHB
Region: Santa Clara
Elevation: Average 1,600 meters
Processing Method: Washed

Brewing Instructions

Pour-over Panama Eleta. Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (ground with Fujiyama ghost tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half in the coffee bed before continuing to pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total water, avoiding the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Eleta Estate

Eleta Estate (Café de Eleta) is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve belonging to the Central American ecological habitat. Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. It initially operated vegetable cultivation and livestock farming. Coffee cultivation only began in 1995, under the name Café de Eleta S.A., and the land area continued to expand. Today it encompasses 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee plantations and one of the best-known Panama coffees. Because of abundant water resources, it has a private 530KW hydroelectric plant. Besides being self-sufficient in electricity, the surplus power is sold to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. and connected to the grid.

Variety: Caturra
Estate: Eleta Estate
Flavor Notes: Creamy bread, almond kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

Panama Coffee: Rising Star in Central America

Panama coffee has been the hottest country in Central America for the past 5-6 years. The main reason is the Geisha variety cultivated at Hacienda La Esmeralda, operated by the Peterson family, which has driven coffee enthusiasts crazy. Geisha has consequently been promoted as the world's top-tier coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Cup of Excellence auction is independent of the Central American cupping competitions and was the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee impresses not only with the Geisha variety but also with continuous updates to green bean processing methods. There are traditional washed methods as well as the honey processing popular in neighboring Costa Rica, and Central America's gradually emerging natural process beans are also produced in small quantities in Panama, drawing global attention from coffee professionals.

History and Regions of Panama Coffee

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780, when Europeans brought the first Typica coffee trees. The mysterious, exotic beverage conquered the senses of Panamanians, and locals began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is very smooth, with full, lightweight beans and perfectly balanced acidity. Its high-quality beans feature pure, distinctive flavors. Because of widespread popularity, most of Panama's premium beans are exported to France and Finland.

Main coffee-producing regions in Panama include:

Boquete Region: This area produces coffee in large quantities with excellent quality, making it Panama's most productive and highest-quality coffee region.

Volcán Region: Coffee from this area 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 farms are irrigated and nourished by clear river water from the Chorerra waterfall, and proximity to the Panama Canal allows fresh, pure Panama coffee to be transported worldwide conveniently.

Piedra de Candela Region: Considered to have the greatest potential for large-scale development of high-quality specialty coffee.

Flavor Profile

This batch of coffee has the most pure, original flavors. Because Eleta Estate SHB washed coffee is harvested from high-altitude Caturra beans, it carries intense fruity and floral aromas. Flavor characteristics: creamy bread, almond kernel sweetness, sugarcane sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour, and a pleasant mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a Santa Clara washed Panama coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed is the closest match: grown at an average of 1,600 meters and washed processed, it shows creamy bread and almond kernel sweetness with a rounded acidity. Brew it at 88-89°C with 15g of coffee and a 1:15 ratio, blooming 30g for 27 seconds and finishing at 225g in about 2:00.

If you want to step up to Panama's most celebrated variety, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Boquete Washed Gesha, grown at 1600 meters in volcanic soil, delivers jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange, all for a very approachable price.