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How to Properly Brew Panama Eleta Coffee & Panama Coffee Bean Prices

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista discussion, follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat Official Account: cafe_style). Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed. Country: Panama. Grade: SHB. Region: Santa Clara. Altitude: Average 1600 meters. Processing: Washed. Pour-over Panama Eleta. 15g coffee grounds, medium grind (Fuji ghost tooth burr grinder #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature.

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Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed

Country: Panama

Grade: SHB

Region: Santa Clara

Altitude: Average 1,600 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Hand-pour Panama Ileta. 15g coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth blade #4 grind), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature, first pour 30g water, 27 seconds pre-infusion, pour to 105g then stop, wait until the bed water level drops to half before continuing the pour, slowly pour until reaching 225g total, discard the tail section, water-to-coffee ratio 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, adjacent to La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that belongs to the Central American ecological habitat. Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially, it operated as a vegetable plantation and livestock business. In 1995, it began coffee cultivation and was named Café de Eleta S.A., continuing to expand its land area until today, where it encompasses 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee plantations and one of the best-known Panama coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it has 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 Notes: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

Panama Coffee

Panama coffee has become the most popular coffee country in Central America over the past 5-6 years, primarily due to the Geisha coffee variety cultivated by the Peterson family at Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda estate, 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 Cup of Excellence competition auctions are independent from the Central and South American cupping competitions and were also the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee not only impresses with its Geisha variety but also continuously innovates in mid-range green bean processing, featuring not only traditional washed processing but also the honey processing method prevalent in neighboring Costa Rica. Additionally, Panama produces small quantities of naturally processed coffee beans that are gradually gaining prominence in Central America, attracting the attention of coffee professionals worldwide.

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica coffee trees. This mysterious and extraordinary beverage soon conquered the senses of Panamanians, who began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is remarkably smooth, with full-bodied, 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.

Main Coffee Growing Regions in Panama

Boquete Region: This area produces abundant quantities of high-quality coffee, making it the most productive and superior quality region for Panama coffee.

Volcán Region: Coffee from this region is characterized by mild, balanced flavors and has gradually gained attention from international connoisseurs and coffee enthusiasts. It is believed that this region will soon rival the Boquete region in prominence.

Santa Clara Region: Fertile coffee farms are irrigated and nourished by the clear river water from the Chorerra waterfall, combined with proximity to the Panama Canal, allowing fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently transported to various parts of the world.

Piedra de Candela Region: This region is considered most promising for developing high-quality specialty coffee potential.

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

Caturra Variety

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant structure is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. While inheriting Bourbon lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for Brazilian growing conditions, so it was not widely cultivated there. Instead, it became prevalent in Central and South American regions, with large-scale cultivation in countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, people are likely more concerned with Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the altitude where Caturra is grown, the better the quality, but correspondingly, the lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits distinct acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be expressed exceptionally well, but the coffee body is relatively lower compared to Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in very rare regions, yellow Caturra can be found, such as the minimal cultivation of yellow Caturra in Hawaii.

Coffee Bean Grading Systems

Currently, coffee bean grading systems are not standardized worldwide. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and grading names, so you might see the following terms on coffee packaging: "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberry/Small beans," etc. These are coffee bean grade names. Roasted coffee beans sold in retail markets sometimes indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the coffee grading information, typically the better the coffee quality. However, most general coffees do not display this information.