What are the coffee estates in Panama? Panama Boquete Region Panama Elida Estate

Coffee Knowledge Exchange

FrontStreet Coffee shares coffee knowledge from around the world. This article looks at Panama's Boquete growing region through Elida Estate, and at the Catuai variety grown there.

Panama Boquete Valley Elida Estate Natural

Tropical fruits, peach wine aroma, fresh strawberries, Irwin mangoes, pineapple, juicy sweet-and-sour peaches, vanilla, fermented rice notes, dark berries, excellent sweetness, and a long berry aftertaste.

About Elida Estate

Elida Estate is located in the Boquete region of Panama and is one of the highest-altitude coffee estates in the country. Situated on the eastern side of Baru Volcano, it has consistently won Best of Panama awards in recent years. In 2018 it achieved dual championships in both the natural and washed categories, with the washed category receiving the highest score in history at 94.66. The total number of BOP awards it has won is second only to the internationally renowned Esmeralda Estate.

Coffee cultivation began here in 1918. In addition to coffee, many native tree species are planted, which provide shade for the coffee plants and protect the ecosystem. The family fertilizes all coffee trees by hand and refuses to use environmentally harmful herbicides and pesticides. Because of the high altitude, year-round low temperatures delay the ripening of the coffee berries, and the volcanic soil near the volcano supplies rich nutrients, enabling this estate's beans to consistently achieve outstanding results in competitions.

About Catuai Variety

The arabica coffee variety Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Caturra plants are short while Mundo Novo plants are tall, and the hybrid improves the height for easier harvesting. The flavor is sweet, with sweetness performance similar to Caturra but with less acidity and astringency, improving on the drawbacks of poor taste and flavor, and offering excellent balance.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over recommended parameters: V60/90°C/1:15 ratio/time two minutes

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Boquete's cool, misty climate and volcanic soil are what give the region its reputation, and FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Washed Butterfly shows that character clearly. It is grown in Boquete's Baru Volcano area and carries half Geisha blood, made up of the Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai varieties; the region's abundant rainfall, large day-night temperature difference, and distinctive volcanic rock soil, along with careful picking and fine processing, give it impressive body, citrus acidity, and Geisha's jasmine aroma, and it works well as both pour-over and cold brew.

For a fine, single-variety expression, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Geisha is grown at 1,600 meters in the same region and delivers the classic orange-blossom honey character alongside green tea, honey, citrus, and orange. At the top of the range, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Estate Red Label Geisha comes from a single plot above 1,700 meters and must cup at 91 points, with a refined orange-peel and honey profile.

The estate's own brewing suggestion applies well to all of these: a V60 pour-over at 90°C with a 1:15 ratio and a total time of about two minutes.