Panama Hartmann Estate Coffee Beans Single Origin Anaerobic Fermentation Processing Method Introduction Flavor Description Growing Region

Wine Processing Method: Controlled Fermentation

The wine processing method is also known as controlled fermentation, or lactic and acetic acid fermentation.

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

The dedicated hand-picking crew is trained to follow specialty coffee harvesting requirements strictly: unripe fruit below 2%, defective beans below 3%, floating beans below 5%.

Acetic Acid Fermentation - Aerobic Fermentation

Lactic Acid Fermentation - Anaerobic Fermentation

Expected Flavor Profiles

Acetic Acid Fermentation Method

Cleaner, vibrant acidity, brighter acidity, citric acid

Lactic Acid Fermentation Method

More rounded mouthfeel, slightly less clean than acetic acid fermentation, higher body, malic and tartaric acid

Introduction to Hartmann Estate

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

After World War I began he was abandoned as a small boy. Thanks to his mother he survived, hidden aboard a ship bound for Pennsylvania in the United States. Both of his brothers enlisted and died in the war. Luis Hartmann traveled through several countries with friends until he reached Panama in 1911 and settled in Chiriquí Province in 1912, working mainly in the Candela area. He built the first small cabin in this stretch of primeval forest.

Today Hartmann Estate is a family business founded in 1940 by Ratibor Hartmann, son of Eloís. In 1966 Ratibor married Dinorza Sandi of Costa Rica, and they had five children: Ratibor Jr., Alan, Alexander, Alice, and Kelly. Each family member takes responsibility for growing, harvesting, processing, and estate tours. A family estate that has been growing coffee for over 100 years is a legend in its own right.

The business includes a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room, and every batch of cherries is rigorously cupped. That is what keeps Hartmann Estate quality stable while the family keeps pushing for improvement, and their scientific approach plus nearly 100 years of family experience guarantee the results.

This lot is Caturra processed by the wine method. From the moment it is ground it releases an extremely rich fruity wine aroma, together with fresh smoked-wood spice and the particular berry sweetness of natural processing; the fragrance alone is intoxicating. On the palate it shows rich tropical fruit, like a cocktail carefully mixed from passion fruit, mango, orange, and berry juices with peach wine. No, this is a cocktail from nature itself.

Very few coffee-growing regions on Earth have successfully experimented with wine-like processing. After years of testing, this method can finally control the acid structure in coffee. Coffee fermented this way greatly enhances sweetness, cleanliness, and a multi-layered yet elegant acidity, significantly improving both the quality and the uniqueness of the cup.

Previously, processing plants relied on methods passed down by hand, such as biting a bean to judge the fermentation level. That approach is uncontrollable and inconsistent. The controlled fermentation method instead uses pH value to monitor the degree of fermentation, achieving predictable results and consistent production from batch to batch.

Caturra Variety

Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. It has better production capacity and disease resistance than Bourbon, and its shorter tree height makes harvesting convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from biennial production cycles. It is highly adaptable, however, needs no shade trees, and thrives directly under intense sunlight, which earned it the name "Sun Coffee." It tolerates high-density planting but needs more fertilizer, which raises costs, so early farmer acceptance was low.

When coffee prices rose sharply in the 1970s, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields, and with vigorous promotion by Brazilian and Colombian authorities the results were abundant. Farmer acceptance of Caturra meant a major change in cultivation technique. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-exposed planting, and by 1990 one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee, lifting production capacity by 60%. Small wonder that high-production, high-quality Caturra has become a variety so many producing countries rely on.

Caturra suits planting anywhere from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, and its altitude adaptability is strong. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though production capacity drops in relative terms, which is the fate of specialty beans. Some academics call Caturra the intensive, sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which is neatly put. Yellow Caturra variants exist in Central and South America, but their reputation does not match Yellow Bourbon.

Roasted light, Caturra shows obvious acidic aromas and overall brightness, and with the right processing its sweetness can perform very well, though its body is relatively low compared with Bourbon and its cleanliness is somewhat lacking. Normally Caturra bears red cherries, but in very rare areas there are yellow Caturra varieties; Hawaii, for example, grows very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Brewing Method for Hartmann

Hand pour Hartmann: 15g of coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth grinder setting #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water, steam for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until you reach 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Information

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán Region

Altitude: 1250-1700 Meters

Processing: Wine Processing Method

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Hartmann Estate

Flavor: Smoked wood spices, berries, fruity wine aroma

Panama Hartmann Estate Caturra Wine Processing Method

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf life: 30 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Neutral
Coffee bean state: Roasted beans
Contains sugar: No sugar
Origin: Panama
Coffee type: Other
Roast level: Medium roast

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Panama's Boquete region is where the country's most famous coffees come from, and FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete washed Geisha is an estate-level introduction to that terroir. The mountains around Boquete are frequently wrapped in cloud, humid by day and cool by night, and the fertile soil of Volcán Barú feeds the trees, while the higher altitude slows ripening so the fruit takes in more nutrients and develops a richer, more distinctive flavor. Planted at 1600 meters, the coffee shows Geisha's signature jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange in the cup.

If you want a touch of Geisha at a friendlier price, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama washed Butterfly is the one. It carries half of Geisha's pedigree, a blend of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai grown in the Volcán Barú area of Boquete, where the local microclimate brings heavy rainfall and a wide day-night swing, and the volcanic rock soil plus careful picking and processing give the cup excellent body, citrus acidity, and Geisha's jasmine aroma. It is equally good as pour-over or cold brew.

At the top of the Panama range sits FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label Geisha. Hacienda La Esmeralda is both the discoverer and the great promoter of Geisha, and to sharpen its selections it cups different blocks separately and assigns them to plots by altitude, which is how the Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label tiers came about. The Red Label, formally Esmeralda Special, is picked from a single plot above 1700 meters and must cup at 90 points or higher, each batch carrying its own number so buyers can chase the nuance they prefer. FrontStreet's Red Label comes from the Jaramillo plot and shows an exquisite orange-blossom honey character.