Panama Illeta Estate: Cultivation Varieties, Historical Flavor Descriptions, Growing Region Information, and Processing Methods

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Variety: Caturra

Estate: Hacienda Eleta

Flavor: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

This batch of coffee possesses the purest original flavors. Because Hacienda Eleta's SHB washed coffee is harvested from high-altitude Catuai coffee beans, it carries intense fruity and floral aromas. Flavor characteristics: creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, sugarcane sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour, pleasant mouthfeel.

Caturra is a natural variant of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter 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 suitable for growing there and thus was not 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.

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 prominent acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, its sweetness can be exceptionally well-expressed, but its body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel 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 was introduced to Panama in 1780, when Europeans brought the first Typica varieties. Afterwards, this mysterious and exotic beverage conquered the senses of Panamanians, who began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is very smooth, with full, lightweight beans and perfectly balanced acidity. Its premium coffee beans offer pure and highly distinctive flavors. Due to widespread popularity, most of Panama's premium coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Panama's Main Coffee Growing Regions:

Boquete Region

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

Volcan Region

Coffee from this area is characterized by mild and balanced flavors, gradually gaining 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 clear river water from the Chorerra waterfall, plus proximity to the Panama Canal allows fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently transported worldwide.

Piedra de Candela Region

This region is considered to have the greatest potential for developing high-quality specialty coffees.

Pour-over Panama Hacienda Eleta

15g coffee grounds, medium grind (Fuji Royal grinder #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour with 30g water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to halfway before pouring again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15. Extraction time: 2:00.

Panama coffee has been the most popular country in Central America for the past 5-6 years, mainly because the Geisha variety grown at Hacienda La Esmeralda, operated by the Peterson family, has driven coffee enthusiasts crazy. Geisha was promoted as the world's top coffee bean, and for this reason, the Panama Cup of Excellence auction is independent from the Central and South American cupping competitions. It was also the earliest auction country, held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee is impressive not only in the Geisha variety but also in continuous innovations in green bean processing methods. There are not only traditional washed processing methods but also honey processing methods popular in neighboring Costa Rica. Additionally, Panama produces small quantities of naturally processed coffees, gradually emerging in Central America, attracting attention from coffee professionals worldwide.

Currently, the grading systems for coffee bean growing regions worldwide are not unified. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and grade names, so you might see the following text on coffee packaging: "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberries/small beans," etc. These are coffee bean grade names. Roasted coffee beans sold on the market are sometimes labeled with the grade of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the grade labeling, usually the better the coffee quality. However, most general coffees are not labeled with grades.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (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 Flavor 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 1600 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Hacienda Eleta (Café de Eleta) is located in the Santa Clara region, a small area just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that is part of the Central American ecological habitat. Hacienda Eleta began acquiring land in the 1970s, covering approximately 130 hectares. Initially focused on vegetable cultivation and livestock operations, it began coffee cultivation in 1995, named Café de Eleta S.A., and continued expanding land area. Today, it encompasses 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee estates and one of the best-known Panama coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it has a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant that not only supplies its own electricity needs but also sells excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473