How Did Panama Finca Candela Coffee Come About and How Are Panama Coffee Beans Classified

What Is Catuai Coffee?

Catuai is a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra, which makes it a second-generation hybrid. It takes after Caturra in one useful way: the tree stays short. The name Catuai comes from a native word meaning "very good," and as a member of the Arabica family, Catuai is a dependable, high-yielding variety.

Pour-Over Brewing Guide: FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Candela Estate

15g of coffee, medium grind (4 on a small Fuji ghost-tooth grinder), V60 dripper, water at 88-89°C. First pour: 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour up to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops halfway, then pour slowly until you reach 225g in total. Leave the tail behind. Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15, extraction time: 2:00.

Product Information

Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Processing Degree: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Panama
Roast Level: Medium roast

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Candela Estate Honey Process Catuai

• Country: Panama
• Grade: SHB
• Region: Candela growing region
• Roast Level: Medium roast
• Processing Method: Honey process
• Variety: Catuai
• Processing Mill: Candela Estate
• Flavor Notes: Lemon, orange, cranberry, green tea

Cupping Profile

Dried fruit on the nose, a rich fruity acidity, and noticeable sweetness from the first sip, with clear notes of lemon, orange, cranberry, and green tea. The body is even and smooth, the mouthfeel soft, and there are faint floral touches underneath. The aftertaste lingers pleasantly.

More About Catuai

Catuai is a man-made hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. It stands up well to natural disasters, and it is especially resistant to wind and rain.

The Catuai tree is fairly short. Compared with other coffee trees, its cherries hold on more firmly and are not easy to pick. The fruit comes in both red and yellow types. So far no superior flavor has been found in the yellow fruit compared with the red. In fact, some cuppers have found that while certain yellow-fruit lots have good acidity, their cleanliness falls short of red-fruit lots.

Catuai was first cultivated in Brazil and is now widely planted throughout Central America.

Panama Coffee Growing Regions

Premium Panama coffee is grown in the western part of the country, near Costa Rica and close to the Pacific Ocean. Coffee from the Boquet area of Chiriqui province is the most famous, and Volcán, Santa Clara, and Candela are well known too. Other districts include David, Remacimeinto, Bugaba, and Tole. Only coffee grown between 1,300 and 1,500 meters is considered specialty coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Panama's balance has caught your eye, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Geisha is the natural place to start. Grown at 1,600 meters on the fertile volcanic ash soil of Boquete, where mountain clouds keep the days humid and the nights cool, this estate-level introduction to Geisha brews into the variety's signature jasmine floral notes alongside green tea, honey, citrus, and orange.

FrontStreet Panama Washed Flower Butterfly is the more approachable step. Carrying half Geisha's pedigree through a blend of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, it is grown around Volcán Barú in Boquete, where abundant rainfall, wide day-night temperature swings, and volcanic rock soil give it an impressive body, bright citrus acidity, and a floral, fruit-sweet finish. It works beautifully both as pour-over and as cold brew.

At the top of the range sits FrontStreet Emerald Estate Red Label Geisha. Harvested from a single plot above 1,700 meters and required to score 91 in cupping, it shows the refined orange-blossom and honey character that made Panama Geisha famous. For something different from the same estate, FrontStreet Emerald Estate Diamond Mountain draws Caturra and Catuai from the Jaramillo and Canas Verdes farms, where volcanic soil and old-growth forest shade produce rich fruit aromatics and sweetness.