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Panama Hartmann Estate Single Origin Coffee: Flavor Profile, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional barista exchange. Follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Panama Hartmann Estate Single Origin Coffee: Flavor Profile, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters. Hartmann Estate Introduction. Hartmann's story is as legendary as its coffee. Hartmann Estate is located in Chiriquí, Santa Clara. The founder is Mr. Alois St. Hartmann (Luis Hartmann).

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Panama Hartmann Estate Single Origin Bean Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters

Hartmann Estate Introduction

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

After World War I began, he was abandoned as a young boy. Thanks to his mother, he managed to hide on a ship bound for Pennsylvania, USA, and survived. His two brothers both died in the war after joining the military. Luis Hartmann traveled through several countries with his friends until he arrived in Panama in 1911 and settled in Chiriquí Province in 1912, mainly active in the Candel area. He built the first small cabin in this pristine forest.

Today's Hartmann Estate is a family business founded in 1940 by Ratibor Hartmann (son of Alois Luis). In 1966, Ratibor married Dinorora Sandi from Costa Rica. They had five children: Ratibor Jr., Allan, Alexander, Alicia, and Kelly. Each family member takes on different responsibilities in coffee cultivation management, harvesting processing, and estate tours. A family estate that has been growing coffee for over 100 years is itself a legendary story.

This family business has a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room. They rigorously cup each batch of coffee cherries. This ensures consistent quality of Hartmann Estate coffee and continuous pursuit of improvement. Their scientific approach to coffee and nearly 100 years of family experience guarantee their excellent products.

A legendary estate with a state-level cupping laboratory and sample roasting room. Rigorous attitude and strict standards ensure consistent quality of Hartmann Estate coffee.

This batch is red wine processed Caturra variety. From the moment it's ground, it releases an extremely intense fruity wine aroma, accompanied by fresh smoky wood spice notes, plus the special sweet berry aroma of natural processing. Smelling its fragrance is already intoxicating. Upon tasting, it presents rich tropical fruit flavors, like a cocktail carefully blended with passion fruit, mango, orange, and berry juices with peach wine! No, this is a cocktail from nature itself!

Among all coffee growing regions on Earth, very few have successfully experimented with red wine-like processing methods. After years of testing, this processing method can finally control the acidity structure in coffee. Coffee fermented through red wine-like processing greatly enhances the sweetness, cleanliness, and multi-layered complex yet elegant acidity in coffee. This fermentation method significantly improves the quality and uniqueness of coffee production.

Red wine processing method, also called controlled fermentation method, or lactic/acetic acid fermentation method

The experimental team is led by American Felipe Sardi, composed of biological scientists and ecologists who apply technologies like solar energy to cultivation and green bean processing.

The specialized hand-picking team is trained and strictly follows specialty coffee bean picking requirements: unripe berries <2%, defective beans <3%, floaters <5%.

Acetic Acid Fermentation Method — Aerobic Fermentation

Lactic Acid Fermentation Method — Anaerobic Fermentation

Expected Flavor Profiles:

Acetic Acid Fermentation Method:

Cleaner, lively acidity, brighter acidity, citric acid

Lactic Acid Fermentation Method:

Rounder mouthfeel, slightly lower cleanliness compared to acetic acid fermentation, higher body, malic/tartaric acid

Previously, processing plants used traditional manual methods passed down through generations, such as biting beans to feel their fermentation degree. This fermentation method is uncontrollable and variable.

Controlled fermentation method uses pH control to monitor fermentation degree, achieving predictable results and consistent batches.

Hartmann Estate Washed

Country: Panama

Region: Volcán

Altitude: 1250-1800 meters

Processing Method: Washed

Grade: SHB

Variety: Arabica

Flavor Description: Drupaceous fruits, cream, vanilla, and herbal plant finish

Hartmann Estate Natural

Country: Panama

Region: Volcán

Altitude: 1250-1800 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Grade: SHB

Variety: Arabica

Flavor Description: Wine aroma, fruit juice, grapes, longan

Hartmann Estate Pacamara Natural

Country: Panama

Region: Volcán

Altitude: 1250-1800 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Grade: SHB

Variety: Pacamara

Flavor Description: Dried fruit, smoky, cardamom-like spices, onion, melon-like aromas

Hartmann Estate Geisha Natural

Country: Panama

Region: Volcán

Altitude: 1250-1800 meters

Processing Method: Natural

Grade: SHB

Variety: Geisha

Flavor Description: Citrus, melon-like aromas, tropical fruits

Hartmann Estate is a coffee estate jointly operated by the Hartmann family.

The estate founder was Alois Strasil Hartmann,

who came to Panama's Boquete region around 1918 to start his cultivation business.

Currently, Hartmann Estate has two coffee farms: Ojo de Agua and Palo Verde,

located about two miles apart. Coffee at Ojo de Agua is grown under shade trees,

and many areas of the estate remain pristine forest.

It is also one of the buffer zones of the famous

La Amistad Forest Reserve, which spans Costa Rica and Panama.

The average altitude ranges from 1220 to 1828 meters,

and dirt roads in the estate lead to various native wildlife habitats,

perfect for birdwatching, hiking, and exploration.

The Palo Verde farm is what we commonly know as Hartmann Estate,

where coffee is also grown under rainforest shade trees,

with an average altitude of 1250 meters and annual temperatures between 12.7 and 26.6 degrees Celsius.

Annual rainfall is 4500 cm,

and the estate has well-developed dirt roads

as well as a small museum displaying insect specimens and local handicrafts.

Panama

Population: 3,406,000

Panama's coffee regions are defined by how coffee is produced, not by geographical divisions. 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.

BOQUETE

The Boquete region is the most famous coffee-growing area in Panama. Its mountainous terrain creates many microclimates. Relatively cool weather and frequent fog help slow the maturation of coffee cherries, which some believe resembles high-altitude climates.

Altitude: 400-1,900m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

VOLCAN-CANDELA

The Volcán-Candela region produces most of Panama's food and some amazing coffees. The region is named after Baru Volcano and the city of Piedra Candela, and borders Costa Rica.

Altitude: 1,200-1,600m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

RENACIMIENTO

Renacimiento is a coffee-producing region in Chiriquí Province, bordering Costa Rica. The area itself is quite small, so it is not a major specialty coffee-producing region in Panama.

Altitude: 1,100-1,500m

Harvest: December - March

Varieties: Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, Geisha, San Ramon

Panama Hartmann Estate

When discussing Panama's coffee traditions, most people are familiar with specialty coffee regions from Boquete, but in recent years, coffees from the Volcán region have gradually emerged in the specialty market, with quite a few estates entering the Best of Panama competition and even winning championships. The Volcán region generally has less annual rainfall than Boquete, and its geographical location on the west side of Baru Volcano gives coffees more intense dried fruit flavors, sweetness, and aroma compared to Boquete region coffees. In the early days, the Volcán area mostly grew economic crops like fruits and vegetables, with very few farmers cultivating coffee. Among the pioneers of coffee cultivation in the Volcán region was the well-known Hartmann family in Panama.

The Hartmann family's story in Panama is quite a long history of European immigration. Alois Strasil Hartmann was born in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, now the Czech Republic. Due to political instability, he decided to start a new life elsewhere. Initially, Alois stayed in New York, USA, before traveling to Panama. However, after a few months, Alois found he didn't adapt well to urban life in Panama City. Adventure DNA always ran in his blood, and shortly after quitting his job, he decided to follow the mountain lines to the Volcán region to work and settle down. He married his first wife, Susana Troetsch, and they had Hartmann Troetsch, who would later found Hartmann Estate. Beginning in 1940, Hartmann Troetsch inherited his father's farmland and began land preparation work, starting the history of Hartmann Estate that continues today. During the early land clearing, old Hartmann decided to preserve most of the estate's original forest land, and this concept of native forest protection continues to influence the current third-generation estate managers. Today, Hartmann Estate still maintains this tradition, with coffee cultivation areas accounting for only about 20% of the entire estate. Due to successful forest conservation, the estate has numerous native birds, and the locally famous toucan has naturally become the estate's standard logo.

Hartmann Estate is currently managed by five children of Hartmann Troetsch, who handle various estate matters. Primarily, the eldest siblings Ratibor and Kelly are responsible for important work related to coffee quality, including cultivation, breeding, and fertilization within the estate. They are the soul figures of Hartmann Estate. Besides their own estate, the Hartmann family also provides management services for estates near Volcán, such as Ninety Plus's Panama estate, which maintains close cooperation with the Hartmann family for various estate management matters.

At Hartmann Estate, Ojo de Agua has always been one of our favorite sections. This area is located at a higher altitude within the estate, with very limited annual production. This section currently only grows a few varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai. The total estate area is 120 hectares, with only 20 hectares used for cultivation. Another estate is named Santa Clara, which serves as both a coffee estate and nursery garden, as well as the location of Hartmann Estate's washed processing plant. This area is also where the estate owner experiments with different variety flavor performances. Currently, more than ten varieties are being tested, and promising varieties may be planted on a larger scale in the future.

Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. It has better yield and disease resistance than Bourbon, with shorter plants that facilitate harvesting. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from biennial production cycles. However, it has strong adaptability, doesn't require shade trees, and can thrive under direct sunlight, earning it the name "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilization, increasing costs, so initial farmer acceptance was low.

But in the 1970s, when coffee prices soared, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With strong promotion from Brazilian and Colombian authorities, results were abundant. Farmer acceptance of Caturra meant a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun cultivation. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing production by 60%. No wonder high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become a variety relied upon by various producing countries.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, with strong altitude adaptability. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, but relatively lower yields—this is the destiny of specialty beans. Some academics call Caturra the intensive and sun version of Bourbon, which is quite insightful. There are also yellow Caturra variants (Caturra Amarello) in Central and South America, but their reputation doesn't match that of Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra has obvious acidity and overall brightness. With proper processing, sweetness can perform very well, but coffee body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and mouthfeel cleanliness is somewhat lacking.

Usually, Caturra has red berries, but in very rare areas, there are yellow Caturras, such as the very few yellow Caturras grown in Hawaii.

Pour-over Hartmann. 15g of coffee, medium grind (Fuji Royal hand grinder with ghost teeth, setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour with 30g of water for 27 seconds bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level drops to halfway before pouring again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Country: Panama

Grade: SHG

Region: Volcán Region

Altitude: 1250-1700 Meters

Processing Method: Red Wine Processing

Variety: Caturra

Estate: Hartmann Estate

Flavor: Smoky wood spices, berries, fruit wine aroma