How are the Panama Iletta Coffee Bean Market Trends - Which Panama Coffee Brand is the Best

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About Caturra Coffee

Caturra is a natural variety of the Bourbon Arabica species, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is smaller and more compact than Bourbon. Due to inheriting Bourbon's lineage, it has relatively weak disease resistance but higher yields than Bourbon. Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for growing there, so it wasn't cultivated on a large scale in Brazil. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South American regions, with countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua extensively cultivating Caturra.

Flavor Profile

Compared to these botanical characteristics, you might be more concerned about Caturra's flavor. The higher the altitude where Caturra is grown, the better the quality, but correspondingly, the lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits pronounced acidity and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be excellent, but its body is relatively lower compared to Bourbon, and its cleanliness of flavor is somewhat lacking.

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

Coffee Bean Grading

Currently, coffee bean grading systems are not standardized worldwide. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and grading names. Therefore, you might see the following terms on coffee packaging: "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberries/small beans," etc. These are coffee bean grade names. Sometimes, commercially sold roasted beans indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the coffee grade labeling, the better the coffee quality typically represents. However, most general coffees do not indicate this information.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste 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
Altitude: Average 1,600 meters
Processing Method: Washed

Brewing Method

Panama Eleta pour-over. Use 15g of coffee, ground to medium fineness (using Fujiyama serrated burr grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to halfway, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Eleta Estate

Café 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 and part of the Central American ecological habitat. Eleta Estate began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially focused on vegetable cultivation and livestock operations, it started coffee cultivation in 1995, naming it Café de Eleta S.A. The estate continued to expand its land area and now encompasses 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee plantations and one of Panama's best-known premium coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it has a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant. Besides being self-sufficient in electricity, excess power is sold to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Coffee Details

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

Panama Coffee Overview

Panama coffee has been the most popular country in Central America for the past 5-6 years. The main reason is that a coffee tree variety, Geisha, cultivated by the Peterson family at Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, has driven coffee enthusiasts wild. Consequently, Geisha has been acclaimed as the world's top coffee bean. Because of this, the Panama Coffee Excellence Competition auction is separate from the Central American cupping competition and is one of the earliest auction countries, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee is impressive not only in the Geisha variety but also continuously innovates in green bean processing methods. It not only has traditional washed processing but also honey processing, which is most popular in neighboring Costa Rica. Additionally, naturally processed coffee, which is gradually emerging in Central America, is also produced in small quantities in Panama, attracting global coffee professionals' attention.

Panama Coffee History

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

Panama Coffee Regions

Panama's main coffee-producing regions include:

Boquete Region

This area produces coffee in large quantities with excellent quality, making it the region with the highest production and best quality coffee in Panama.

Volcán Region

The coffee produced in this area is characterized by mild, balanced flavors and has gradually gained attention from international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is believed that it will soon rival the Boquete region.

Santa Clara Region

Fertile coffee farms are irrigated and nourished by the clear river water from the Chorerra Falls, combined with the proximity to the Panama Canal, allowing fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently transported worldwide.

Piedra de Candela Region

This region is most promising for developing high-quality specialty coffee potential.

Flavor Profile

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

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473