How Elida Coffee from Panama Originates and How Panama Coffee Beans Are Graded

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Flavor Notes: Rich tropical fruits, strawberry aroma, black plum, apricot, peach, longan, intense fruity wine aroma.

Product Information

Brand: FrontStreet Coffee

Net Weight: 227g

Packaging: Bulk

Coffee Bean State: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Panama

Roast Level: Medium roast

Typica Varietal Information

Typica is a tall-growing cultivar of Arabica, originating from the branch spanning from Yemen to Java. It began spreading in Java Island in the early 18th century.

It is Ethiopia's oldest native variety, with all Arabica varieties derived from Typica. Typica's young leaves are bronze-colored, and the beans are oval or slender-pointed. It offers elegant flavors but has weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low yield. FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain, Indonesia Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaii Kona are all excellent estate beans belonging to the Typica variety.

Its plant is very similar to what we call Java today, with bronze-tipped young leaves, large fruits and seeds, very low yield, and susceptibility to all major pests and diseases.

Panama Boquete Elida Typica Natural

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee Panama Boquete Elida Estate Natural Typica

Country: Panama

Grade: SHB

Region: Boquete

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Natural

Variety: Typica

Flavor: Rich tropical fruits, strawberry aroma, black plum

Elida Estate

Volcán Barú is a young active volcano with an altitude exceeding 3,400 meters. It features seven different microclimate zones, fostering rich and diverse ecosystems. The diverse microclimates have both advantages and disadvantages for coffee cultivation. However, for Elida, her flavors are more intense and aromatic than most Panama beans, with black berry aftertaste and varied mouthfeel, making her extremely popular among coffee connoisseurs.

However, high altitude also has disadvantages. For Elida, the average altitude for coffee cultivation exceeds 1,700 meters. The high terrain combined with cool nighttime temperatures means coffee takes five years after planting before it can be harvested, making the waiting period extremely long. During the harvest season, coffee ripening often takes over a month. Once ripening begins, if adverse weather conditions such as typhoons or heavy rains occur—uncontrollable factors that could cause significant losses—the harvest may be drastically reduced due to the commitment to quality and refusal to harvest prematurely. This risk is much greater than for lower-altitude estates.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-brewed FrontStreet Coffee Panama Elida: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's conical burr grinder at setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Boquete Region

Panama coffee is famous for Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and the region where this estate is located is also quite renowned: the Boquete region in Chiriqui Province. Boquete is a town in Chiriqui Province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Volcán Barú. It boasts beautiful scenery, rich and fertile soil, and a climate and soil highly suitable for producing high-quality coffee.

Quality and Processing

Since 2006, Elida's select batches have consistently ranked among Panama's winning batches year after year, with prices increasing annually. Among Central American estates, Elida should be considered the most "Kenyan black berry-like," with its black berries and persistent complex fruit flavors often earning unanimous praise. Judges are also drawn to Elida's unique "umami," a term derived from "Umami." Currently, many experts include "umami" as the fifth basic taste (sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami). Umami functions similarly to monosodium glutamate, enhancing flavor in foods like dried shiitake mushrooms, aged cheese, and kelp. The umami in coffee is related to good "aftertaste"—for example, a long and pleasant lingering taste after sipping all belong to the experience of umami flavor.

Elida's processing facilities, equipment, and procedures are all meticulously designed. Generally, when coffee cherries reach a certain stage in processing, if their moisture content exceeds 20% for an extended period, not only do the high-quality components inside easily dissipate, but there's also the possibility of off-flavors developing. Additionally, since Elida's processing facility is at high altitude, it has dedicated processing equipment to control temperature and timing during drying. This must be controlled precisely and is a crucial step affecting quality.

This batch of FrontStreet Coffee Panama Elida uses natural processing method and is the classic Typica variety. Typica: Ethiopia's oldest native variety, originating from southeastern Ethiopia and Sudan. All Arabica varieties are derived from Typica. It offers elegant flavors but has weak constitution, poor disease resistance, and low yield.

Estate Characteristics

Elida Estate has more than half of its area within Panama National Park's reserve zone. It is a rare ultra-high-altitude estate in Central America, planting coffee at altitudes from 1,700 to nearly 2,000 meters where terrain permits. It is famous for its main flavor axis of "intense and umami."

Elida Estate belongs to owner Wilford Lamastus. This estate grows three varieties: Typica, Geisha, and Catuai, with nursery areas cultivating seedlings of these varieties. The journey to the estate is beautiful. At 1,700 meters altitude, the air becomes crisp and cold, like walking in high mountains enjoying a forest bath while breathing very fresh air. The estate's terrain at 2,000 meters is steep and rugged. After crossing the ridge line, you reach a saddle area that is surprisingly flat and open, with terrain that can block the howling mountain winds. Wilford says this is the best place to grow Geisha!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473