What Does Hartmann Red Wine Processing Taste Like? How to Brew Red Wine Processed Coffee

Caturra Variety Introduction

Caturra is suited to cultivation from the low-altitude range of 700 meters to the high-altitude range of 1700 meters. Its altitude adaptability is strong: the higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though yield falls accordingly, which is the fate of fine coffee beans. Some academics describe Caturra as an intensive, sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which is remarkably accurate. There is also a yellow Caturra variant (Caturra Amarello) in Central and South America, but it is not as highly regarded as Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra shows distinct acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing its sweetness can be expressed remarkably well. Compared with Bourbon, however, it has a relatively lighter body and slightly less cleanliness in the mouthfeel.

Caturra normally produces red cherries, but there are extremely rare regions where yellow Caturra exists, such as Hawaii, where very small quantities of yellow Caturra are cultivated.

Coffee Details

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán region

Altitude: 1250-1700 Meters

Processing Method: Wine processing

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Hartmann Estate

Flavor Notes: Smoky wood spices, berries, fruit wine aroma

Panama Hartmann Estate Caturra Wine Processing

Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Neutral
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Level: Medium roast

Hartmann Estate Introduction

The Hartmann story is as legendary as its coffee. Hartmann Estate is located in Santiago, Chiriquí Province. Its founder was Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann). He was born on June 20, 1891, in the Moravia region of Austria-Hungary, now the Czech Republic, and died on May 25, 1970, at the age of 78.

After World War I began, he was abandoned as a young boy. Thanks to his mother, he survived by hiding aboard a ship bound for Pennsylvania, USA. His two brothers both died in the war after joining the military. Luis Hartmann traveled through several countries with his friends until he arrived in Panama in 1911 and settled in Chiriquí Province in 1912, where he was mainly active in the Candela area. He built the first small cabin in that primitive forest.

Today, Hartmann Estate is a family business founded in 1940 by Ratibor Hartmann, son of Alois. In 1966, Ratibor married Dinora Sandi from Costa Rica. They had five children together: Ratibor Jr., Alan, Alexander, Alice, and Kelly. Each family member takes responsibility for coffee cultivation management, harvesting and processing, and estate tours. A family estate that has been growing coffee for over 100 years is itself a legendary story.

Pour-over Hartmann: 15g coffee, medium grind (Fuji Royal grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops to half before continuing, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

This family business runs a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room. They rigorously cup every batch of coffee cherries, which ensures the stable quality of Hartmann Estate's coffee and their continuous pursuit of improvement. Their scientific approach to coffee and nearly 100 years of family experience guarantee their excellent output.

A legendary estate with a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room, whose rigorous attitude and strict standards keep the quality of Hartmann Estate's coffee consistently high.

This batch is wine-processed Caturra. From the moment it is ground it releases an extremely rich fruit wine aroma, accompanied by fresh smoky wood spice notes and the special berry sweetness of natural processing; simply smelling it is intoxicating. On the palate it offers rich tropical fruit flavors, like a cocktail carefully blended from passion fruit, mango, orange, and berry juices with peach wine. No, this is simply a cocktail from nature.

Among all the coffee growing regions on Earth, this is one of the very few successful experiments with wine-like processing. After years of testing, the method has finally made it possible to control the acid structure in coffee. Coffee fermented this way greatly enhances the sweetness, cleanliness, and multi-layered yet elegant acidity of the cup, and the method significantly improves the quality and uniqueness of the coffee produced.

The wine processing method is also called the controlled fermentation method, or the lactic acid/acetic acid fermentation method.

The experimental team is led by American Felipe Sardi and consists of biological scientists and ecologists. They apply technologies such as solar energy to cultivation and green bean processing.

The specialized hand-picking team is trained and strictly follows the picking requirements for fine coffee beans: unripe cherries under 2%, defective beans under 3%, floaters under 5%.

Acetic acid fermentation method - Aerobic fermentation

Lactic acid fermentation method - Anaerobic fermentation

Flavor Expectations:

Acetic acid fermentation: Cleaner, lively acidity, brighter acid quality, citric acid

Lactic acid fermentation: More rounded mouthfeel, slightly less clean than acetic acid fermentation, higher body, malic acid/tartaric acid

Before this, processing plants all used traditional methods handed down through generations, such as biting a bean to feel the fermentation level. That method is uncontrollable and variable.

The controlled fermentation method uses pH monitoring to track the degree of fermentation. This achieves predictable results and consistent output for each batch.

Caturra Variety Details

Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its yield and disease resistance are better than Bourbon's, and the plant is shorter, making harvesting convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from biennial yield fluctuations. It is highly adaptable, however, needing no shade trees and thriving directly under intense sun, which makes it a "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density cultivation but requires more fertilizer, which raises costs, so initial farmer acceptance was not high.

But in the 1970s, when coffee prices rose sharply, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With strong promotion from Brazilian and Colombian authorities, the results were fruitful. Farmers accepting Caturra meant a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-exposed cultivation. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, a 60% increase in productivity. No wonder the high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become a variety that all producing countries now rely on.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Wine-processed Caturra from Hartmann shows just how dramatic a controlled fermentation can be in Panama's Volcán region, and if that fruit-wine intensity appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Panamanian lineup offers natural next steps. The FrontStreet Panama Boquete Washed Geisha is an estate-level Geisha grown at 1,600 m in fertile volcanic ash soil, delivering the variety's signature jasmine, green tea, honey, and orange with a clean structure. For a bolder, fruitier expression, the FrontStreet Panama Butterfly, grown in the Barú volcano area of Boquete, blends Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, so it keeps a share of Geisha's jasmine lift while adding citrus acidity and a fuller, sweeter body that works beautifully by pour-over or cold brew.

Either lot pairs well with the medium V60 recipe above, which lets the fruit and the fermentation character come forward without muddiness.