Panama Ileta Flavor Profile Panama Coffee Types and Prices

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Understanding Coffee Bean Grading Systems

Coffee bean grading systems around the world are not unified. Each producing country has its own grading system and names, so on coffee packaging you might see "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberry," and so on. These are all coffee bean grades. Roasted beans on the market sometimes indicate the grading of the single origin. The more detailed the grading information, usually the better the coffee quality, though most general coffees do not indicate it.

FrontStreet Coffee Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
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

Brewing Instructions

Hand-poured Panama Eleta. Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fujiyama ghost-tooth grinder #4), a V60 dripper, and water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to half before continuing to pour slowly, until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

The Eleta Estate Story

Cafe de Eleta is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rica border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that belongs to the Central American ecological habitat. The Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering an area of about 130 hectares. Initially it focused on vegetable cultivation and livestock. In 1995 it began growing coffee and was named Cafe de Eleta S.A. The estate continued to expand until today, now covering 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. Besides being self-sufficient in electricity, excess power is sold to Distribucion de Electricidad Chiriqui S.A. and connected to the grid.

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Eleta Estate

Flavor: creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, well-rounded acidity

The Rise of Panama Coffee

Panama has been the hottest coffee country in Central America for the past 5-6 years. The main reason is that Hacienda La Esmeralda, run by the Peterson family, cultivated a Geisha variety that drove coffee enthusiasts crazy, and Geisha was promoted as the world's top coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Coffee Excellence Competition auction is independent of the Central and South America cupping competition and was the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee impresses not only with Geisha but also with continuous innovation in mid-stage green-bean processing. It has traditional washed processing and also the honey method popular in neighboring Costa Rica, and the gradually emerging natural processed beans of Central America are produced in small quantities in Panama too, attracting the attention of coffee professionals worldwide.

Coffee in Panama

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780, when Europeans brought the first Typica coffee trees. This mysterious and peculiar beverage conquered the senses of Panamanians, and locals began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is very smooth, with full-bodied beans that are light in weight and have perfectly balanced acidity. Its high-quality beans feature pure, highly distinctive flavors. Due to its popularity, most of Panama's premium beans are exported to France and Finland.

Panama's Main Coffee Growing Regions

Boquete Region: This area produces abundant, high-quality coffee, making it the region with the highest production and best quality in Panama.

Volcan Region: Coffee produced here features mild, balanced flavors, gradually gaining attention from international connoisseurs. It is expected to soon match the Boquete region in reputation.

Santa Clara Region: Fertile plantations here are irrigated and nourished by clear river water from the Chorerra waterfall, and combined with proximity to the Panama Canal, fresh, pure Panama coffee is conveniently transported worldwide.

Piedra de Candela Region: This area is considered to have the greatest potential for developing high-quality specialty coffee.

Flavor Profile and Growing Conditions

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

About the Caturra Variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its tree structure is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. Although it inherited Bourbon's lineage, making it relatively weak in disease resistance, its yield is higher than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited to growing there, so it was not cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South America, in countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

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

Usually Caturra produces red cherries, but in very rare regions there are yellow Caturra varieties. Hawaii, for example, grows very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Panama's Santa Clara region rewards drinkers with a gentle, balanced cup, and FrontStreet Coffee recommends exploring the country through its Panama Floral Butterfly, a Boquete bean with Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai that delivers citrus acidity and jasmine aromatics. For the highest expression of Panama's craftsmanship, FrontStreet Coffee's Emerald Estate Red Label Geisha, harvested above 1,700 meters, offers an elegant, tea-like finish.