Coffee culture

Panama Illeta Estate Single Origin Coffee Beans: Differences, Distinctions, and Awards

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Panama Illeta Estate Single Origin Coffee Beans: Differences, Distinctions, and Awards. Variety: Caturra. Estate: Illeta Estate. Flavor: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity. Panama coffee has been the most popular country in Central America for the past 56 years, mainly because of the operations by the Peterson family

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Panama Eleta Estate Single Origin Bean Differences, Distinctions, and Award Status

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Eleta Estate

Flavor: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, rounded acidity

The Rise of Panamanian Coffee

Panama has been the hottest country in Central America for the past 5-6 years, primarily because the Geisha coffee tree cultivated by the Peterson family at Hacienda La Esmeralda has driven coffee enthusiasts wild. This has led to Geisha being hailed as the world's finest coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Best of Panama auction is held separately from the Central and South America cupping competitions, making it the earliest auction country held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee is impressive not only in the Geisha variety but also in its continuous innovation in green bean processing methods. Beyond traditional washed processing, it employs honey processing popularized by neighboring Costa Rica, and produces small quantities of naturally processed beans that are gradually gaining popularity in Central America, attracting global coffee attention.

Coffee in Panama

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica tree varieties. This mysterious and extraordinary beverage soon conquered the senses of Panamanians, who began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is remarkably smooth, with full-bodied beans that are light in weight and possess perfect acidity balance. Its premium coffee beans offer pure, highly distinctive flavors. Due to widespread popularity, most of Panama's premium coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Main Coffee Growing Regions in Panama

Boquete Region: This area produces abundant, high-quality coffee, making it the most productive and highest-quality region for Panama coffee.

Volcán Region: Coffee from this area is characterized by mild, balanced flavors, gradually gaining attention from international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is expected to soon match Boquete's prestige.

Santa Clara Region: Fertile coffee farms are irrigated by clear water from the Chorerra waterfall, and proximity to the Panama Canal allows fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently shipped worldwide.

Piedra de Candela Region: This area shows the greatest potential for large-scale development of high-quality specialty coffee.

This Batch's Characteristics

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

About Caturra Variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of the Arabica Bourbon variety, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its plant is shorter and more compact than Bourbon. Although it inherits Bourbon's lineage, making it relatively disease-resistant, it yields higher production than Bourbon. Despite being discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not well-suited for growing there and therefore wasn't cultivated on a large scale. Instead, it became widely popular in Central and South American countries like Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua, where it's extensively planted.

Compared to these botanical characteristics, people are probably more concerned with Caturra's flavor profile. The higher the elevation where Caturra is grown, the better the quality, but correspondingly lower the yield. When lightly roasted, Caturra displays distinct acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, sweetness can be expressed exceptionally well, though the body is relatively lower compared to Bourbon, and mouthfeel cleanliness may be somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in very rare regions, yellow Caturra exists. For example, Hawaii grows very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Coffee Grading Systems

Currently, coffee grading systems worldwide are not unified. Each coffee-producing country has its own grading system and grade names. You might see terms like "SHB," "AA+," "Supremo," "Extra-Fancy," "Peaberries/small beans" on coffee packaging - these are coffee grade names. Sometimes roasted coffee beans sold in markets indicate the grade of single-origin coffee. The more detailed the grade indication, typically the better the coffee quality. However, most general coffee doesn't display this information.

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10, Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Neutral
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: 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 Recommendation

For pour-over Panama Eleta: Use 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fujiyama ghost tooth burr grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for 27 seconds bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the bed 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 Profile

Eleta Estate (Café de Eleta) is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that forms 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 began coffee cultivation in 1995 under the name Café de Eleta S.A., continuously expanding its land area. Today, it spans 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee estates and one of the country's best-known premium coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it operates a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant, supplying its own electricity needs while selling excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Product Name: Panama Santa Clara Fox Estate Washed SHB
(Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed)

Region: Santa Clara Region

Estate: Fox Estate (Finca Eleta)

Variety: Caturra

Altitude: Average 1,600 meters

Grade: SHB

Processing Method: Washed processing

Harvest Period: N/A

Certification: N/A

Flavor Profile: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, cane sugar sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour notes, pleasant mouthfeel.

Eleta Estate (also known as Fox Estate, Café de Eleta) is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that forms 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 began coffee cultivation in 1995 under the name Café de Eleta S.A., continuously expanding its land area. Today, it spans 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee estates and one of the country's best-known premium coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it operates a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant, supplying its own electricity needs while selling excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

Panama Country Profile

Population: 3,406,000

Panama's regional coffee definition is based on how coffee is produced rather than geographic division. Previously, when coffee was more widely cultivated and the regions listed below were smaller and more clustered, coffee beans from these areas could be combined as a single unit.

Detailed Regional Information

BOQUETE

The Boquete region is Panama's most famous growing area. Its mountainous terrain creates many microclimates. Relatively cool weather and frequent fog help slow coffee cherry maturation, which some consider similar to high-altitude climate conditions.

Altitude: 400-1,900m
Harvest: December-March
Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

VOLCAN-CANDELA

The Volcán-Candela region produces much of Panama's food and some amazing coffee. The region is named after the Barú volcano and Piedra Candela city, bordering Costa Rica.

Altitude: 1,200-1,600m
Harvest: December-March
Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

RENACIMIENTO

Renacimiento is a growing region in Chiriquí province, bordering Costa Rica. The area itself is relatively small, making it not one of Panama's main specialty coffee regions.

Altitude: 1,100-1,500m
Harvest: December-March
Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

Detailed Product Information

Product Name: Panama Santa Clara Fox Estate Washed SHB
(Panama MC Santa Clara Eleta SHB Washed)

Region: Santa Clara Region

Estate: Fox Estate (Finca Eleta)

Variety: Caturra

Altitude: Average 1,600 meters

Grade: SHB

Processing Method: Washed processing

Harvest Period: N/A

Certification: N/A

Flavor Profile: Creamy bread, apricot kernel sweetness, cane sugar sweetness, rounded acidity, complex aroma, balanced sweet and sour notes, pleasant mouthfeel.

Introduction

Coffee was introduced to Panama in 1780 when Europeans brought the first Typica tree varieties. This mysterious and extraordinary beverage soon conquered the senses of Panamanians, who began widespread cultivation. Panama coffee is remarkably smooth, with full-bodied beans that are light in weight and possess perfect acidity balance. Its premium coffee beans offer pure, highly distinctive flavors. Medium roast is recommended. Many buyers like to use Panama beans for blends, and almost all premium coffee beans are exported to France and Finland.

Everyone's taste preferences may differ. Consider purchasing small quantities to try different roast levels.

Roast Level Recommendations

End of first crack (early): Drop beans

End of first crack: Drop beans

Between end of first crack and start of second crack: Drop beans

Beginning of second crack: Drop beans

10-15 seconds into second crack: Drop beans

Dense second crack: Drop beans

We hope all roasting experts can find their preferred flavor profile.

Main Coffee Growing Regions in Panama

1. Boquete Region: This area produces abundant, high-quality coffee, making it the most productive and highest-quality region for Panama coffee.

2. Volcán Region: Coffee from this area is characterized by mild, balanced flavors, gradually gaining attention from international experts and coffee enthusiasts. It is expected to soon match Boquete's prestige.

3. Santa Clara Region: Fertile coffee farms are irrigated by clear water from the Chorerra waterfall, and proximity to the Panama Canal allows fresh, pure Panama coffee to be conveniently shipped worldwide.

4. Piedra de Candela Region: This area shows the greatest potential for large-scale development of high-quality specialty coffee.

Panama has been the hottest country in Central America for the past 5-6 years, primarily because the Geisha coffee tree cultivated by the Peterson family at Hacienda La Esmeralda has driven coffee enthusiasts wild. This has led to Geisha being hailed as the world's finest coffee bean. For this reason, the Panama Best of Panama auction is held separately from the Central and South America cupping competitions, making it the earliest auction country held annually in mid-May. Panama coffee is impressive not only in the Geisha variety but also in its continuous innovation in green bean processing methods. Beyond traditional washed processing, it employs honey processing popularized by neighboring Costa Rica, and produces small quantities of naturally processed beans that are gradually gaining popularity in Central America, attracting global coffee attention.

Eleta Estate (also known as Fox Estate, Café de Eleta) is located in a small area of the Santa Clara region, just one kilometer from the Costa Rican border, near La Amistad International Park, a major primary forest reserve that forms 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 began coffee cultivation in 1995 under the name Café de Eleta S.A., continuously expanding its land area. Today, it spans 420 hectares, making it one of Panama's large-scale coffee estates and one of the country's best-known premium coffees. Due to abundant water resources, it operates a private 530KW hydroelectric power plant, supplying its own electricity needs while selling excess power to Distribución de Electricidad Chiriquí S.A. for grid connection.

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

0