Panama Boquete Butterfly Pour-Over Flavor Characteristics and Panama Boquete Growing Region Geisha Variety Introduction

Customers who visit FrontStreet Coffee often ask if there are any cost-effective coffee beans available. In addition to daily house beans, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically recommend Panama's "Floral Butterfly" (Hua Hudie). This coffee bean, with its delicate floral aroma, citrus-berry notes, and strong sweet aftertaste, has won over many regular customers. When they hear that this coffee is made from 70% Geisha blended with 30% Caturra and Catuai varieties, customers with some coffee knowledge often show an expression of "that explains it."

The Rise of Geisha Coffee

In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda won the Panama Best Coffee championship with their Geisha variety, and since then, Geisha coffee has gained widespread fame, even being considered the world's most valuable coffee without exception. Although public records indicate that Geisha was first discovered in Ethiopia in the 1930s, Panama's Boquete region is currently the most famous for Geisha coffee. Many customers are curious about why Panama's Boquete region produces such exceptional coffee, so today FrontStreet Coffee will explain this question in an article.

Panama's Coffee Excellence

Panama is a Central American country, bordered by Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Those familiar with single-origin coffee should know that Panama coffee is famous in the coffee world for Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha variety. It can be said to be a country that pursues excellence in coffee and produces high-quality coffee beans.

The Boquete growing region, where Hacienda La Esmeralda is located, is quite famous. Boquete is a small town in Chiriquí Province, situated near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Barú Volcano. With its beautiful scenery, rich and fertile soil, and climate and soil conditions perfect for producing quality coffee, this region stands out.

Within the Boquete growing region, there are many excellent estates. Besides the renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda, estates like Elida Estate and Duncan Estate are also well-known in the coffee circle, producing high-quality specialty coffee. This is not only due to Panama's Boquete region's superior ecological conditions but also thanks to the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Barú volcano area. The microclimate present in Panama's Boquete highlands is a unique resource that makes Boquete's specialty coffee exceptional; this is due to Panama's east-west environmental pattern that allows cold air currents to converge above 6,500 feet through the central mountains, creating multiple microclimates in the Boquete area. This makes temperature, humidity, rainfall, and sunlight conditions very suitable for plant growth, so coffee trees planted here grow exceptionally well.

The Floral Butterfly Coffee

In the Boquete region, there is a coffee bean with exceptional cost-effectiveness and a beautiful name: Floral Butterfly.

Floral Butterfly is composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, grown in the Barú Volcano region of Boquete at an altitude of 1,600 meters. It is cultivated and harvested by local small farmers using traditional methods, with the processing plant employing meticulous washed processing. Panama's unique microclimate results in abundant rainfall in this area and significant day-night temperature differences. Combined with the unique volcanic rock soil of the volcanic region and meticulous harvesting and processing, this coffee performs exceptionally well in body, acidity, and floral notes, delivering a very elegant and refined taste. Even more surprisingly, on top of its excellent quality, the affordable price makes this coffee bean's cost-effectiveness outstanding. Its greatest special feature lies in having a large proportion of Geisha variety, giving this coffee distinct orange blossom and honey notes.

Single Origin or Blend?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned, Floral Butterfly is composed of Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, so many customers ask: "Three bean varieties, is this coffee a blend?" To understand this question clearly, we first need to know what single-origin coffee is. The definition of single-origin coffee is: "Coffee beans from a single source." According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, due to the estate's historical reasons, when pursuing yield in the past, early Geisha varieties were mixed with Caturra and Catuai variety coffee trees. For convenience in harvesting, coffee farmers did not reclassify them, only mixing the three varieties again in proportion before export. Since all three varieties come from the same origin (growing region), Floral Butterfly is actually a single-origin bean!

Flavor Profile

Floral Butterfly flavor description: The dry aroma has distinct floral notes, with a slight tea sensation upon entry and prominent citrus flavors. As the temperature slightly decreases, plum-like sweet and sour notes emerge, with a clear aftertaste.

Coffee Information

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama · Floral Butterfly Coffee Beans

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete, Barú Volcano Region

Altitude: 1,600 meters

Varieties: 70% Geisha, Catuai, Caturra

Processing Method: Washed

Due to the special characteristics of this "Floral Butterfly" in terms of varieties, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-light roasting to complete the final flavor development of these beans. FrontStreet Coffee's roasters decided to shorten the Maillard reaction time, running a relatively fast roast curve. Due to the beans' high density and hardness, we start with high heat for dehydration, then reduce the heat before first crack to enter first crack with lower temperature rise, minimizing the loss of small molecule aromatic substances like floral notes, preserving Geisha's characteristic floral, white grape, caramel, honey, and black tea aromas.

Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee Barista's Pour-Over Parameters Reference

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 91°C

Coffee Dose: 15 grams

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Fine sugar (78% retention on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Technique

FrontStreet Coffee Barista's Brewing Method

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, starting with 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. When reaching 125 grams with a small circular pour, we segment the brewing. Continue pouring to 225 grams when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, then stop pouring. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (timing from the start of the bloom), remove the filter cup. The total extraction time is 2'00". This pour-over method for Geisha coffee and Floral Butterfly results in higher sweetness and mellow sweet notes. However, this method is only for reference; everyone should make fine adjustments according to their preferred taste profile.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473