Panama Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Washed Coffee Beans Characteristics Story - Esmeralda Estate Coffee Brand

The Gesha coffee beans from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda are the most renowned. Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered Gesha because this variety's flavor profile differs significantly from the local coffee beans in Panama's coffee-growing regions. So what exactly are the native flavors of Panamanian coffee beans? Hacienda La Esmeralda also grows Caturra and Catuai varieties, creating two brands from these varieties: Diamond Mountain and Palmira. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will first discuss the characteristics of Diamond Mountain coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee: Panama·Hacienda La Esmeralda Natural Diamond Mountain Coffee Beans

Region: Boquete

Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Altitude: 1400-1700m

Variety: Catuai, Caturra

Processing: Natural Process

Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, fermentation notes, cocoa

Hacienda La Esmeralda

The coffee cultivation history of Hacienda La Esmeralda began in 1964 when American banker Rudolph Peterson retired, moved to Panama, and purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda in Boquete, initially focusing on dairy farming. Later, his son Price resigned from his medical position to help manage the farm, introducing Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties in 1987. In 1994, they established a washing station, giving them their own coffee processing facility.

The discovery of Gesha coffee was purely accidental. At the time, Gesha coffee trees had low yields and poor economic benefits, so the previous estate owner used them as windbreaks to protect other high-yield Caturra and Catuai coffee areas from strong winds.

It was against this backdrop that coffee harvesters collected Gesha coffee cherries along with other varieties. During cupping, estate owners discovered this coffee bean was exceptional, with rich citrus and floral notes. They found the Gesha coffee trees and began to value them. In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda entered Gesha separately in competitions, where it gained fame at the BOP competition, establishing the estate's position in the specialty coffee industry.

As FrontStreet Coffee described above, Hacienda La Esmeralda primarily grows Caturra and Catuai varieties. Currently, Hacienda La Esmeralda's brands are divided into five major categories based on cupping performance, planted varieties, and growing plots: three Gesha varieties—Esmeralda Special, Private Collection, and Gesha 1500; and two Caturra and Catuai varieties—Diamond Mountain and Palmira.

Characteristics of Caturra and Catuai Coffee Varieties

According to FrontStreet Coffee's research, Caturra and Catuai varieties are now widely planted in Latin American growing regions because they have better pest and disease resistance than Typica. They are also extensively grown in Panama's coffee regions. Caturra is a Bourbon variant discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both yield and disease resistance are superior to Bourbon, and the plants are shorter, making harvesting easier. They have strong adaptability, don't require shade trees, and are suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters. They have strong altitude adaptability, but higher altitudes produce better flavors with relatively reduced yields.

The Catuai variety was developed in 1949 as a hybrid, created by artificial cross-breeding between Yellow Caturra (Arabica subspecies) and Mundo Novo (Robusta subspecies). It was initially named "H-2077." Catuai has good disaster resistance, particularly against wind and rain. Due to its smaller plant size, it can be planted at double density, and the relatively short plants make pest and disease treatment easier. Catuai grows vigorously and has low height but is susceptible to leaf rust disease.

Panama Coffee Growing Regions

FrontStreet Coffee often mentions that factors affecting coffee beans include growing region, variety, and processing method. FrontStreet Coffee has already covered the varieties of Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain coffee beans, so next FrontStreet Coffee will explain the characteristics of Panama's Boquete coffee-growing region.

Panama has four main coffee-growing regions: Boquete, Volcán, Santa Clara, and Renacimiento. Hacienda La Esmeralda is located in Boquete, Panama's most famous coffee-growing region.

Boquete Coffee Growing Region

Boquete's growing altitude ranges from 1400-1900 meters. It's a small town in Panama's Chiriquí province, located near the border between Panama and Costa Rica, close to the famous Barú Volcano. The scenery is beautiful, the soil is rich and fertile, and the climate and soil are perfect for producing high-quality coffee. According to FrontStreet Coffee, Boquete region is home to many excellent estates. Besides Hacienda La Esmeralda, estates like Elida Estate and Kotowa Duncan Estate also produce high-quality specialty coffee.

This is not only due to Boquete's mild climate conditions and the fertile volcanic ash soil of the Barú volcano area. Another important factor is the diverse microclimates found in Panama's Boquete highlands. Panama's east-to-west geography causes cold air currents to converge through the central mountain range at altitudes between 1200 and 2000 meters. The mountain fog, rain, and variable winds create multiple microclimates in the Boquete area, making temperature and rainfall ideal for plant growth. Therefore, coffee trees planted here grow exceptionally well.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Coffee Growing Regions

Hacienda La Esmeralda is a large estate. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the estate classifies its coffee grades based on plot altitude and other factors. Therefore, Hacienda La Esmeralda has extremely detailed divisions for its coffee-growing plots, mainly comprising three areas: Jaramillo, Cañas Verdes, and El Velo. Each area is further subdivided into smaller plots.

Jaramillo: Annual rainfall of 4000ml, average daytime temperature of 19-25°C, average nighttime temperature of 11-15°C, average altitude of 1600-1700m. The Jaramillo plot is subdivided into 5 small plots: Mario, Noria, Reina, Bosque, and Buenos Aires.

Cañas Verdes: Annual rainfall of 3500ml, average daytime temperature of 16-23°C, average nighttime temperature of 10-15°C, average altitude of 1600-1800m. Cañas Verdes includes 9 small plots: Lino, Coronado, Fundador, León, Montaña, Trapiche, Chinta, Cabaña, and Tumaco.

El Velo: This is the newest plot acquired by Hacienda La Esmeralda, with an average altitude of 1700-1900m. Besides Gesha and Catuai, this plot also grows small quantities of other exotic varieties such as Laurina, Pacamara, Mocha, and SL28. El Velo is divided into 7 small plots: Guabo, Portón, Durazno, Higo, Higo, Buena Vista, and Águila.

Diamond Mountain Series

Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain series Caturra and Catuai coffee varieties are grown in the Cañas Verdes and Jaramillo regions, with overall coffee cultivation distributed at altitudes of 1400-1700 meters. According to FrontStreet Coffee, the Diamond Mountain brand coffee also has Rainforest Alliance certification. This certification is not easily obtained—for example, the Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee in FrontStreet Coffee's shop comes from Jamaica's only Rainforest Alliance-certified Clifton Mount Estate.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Coffee Bean Processing

The Diamond Mountain beans that FrontStreet Coffee acquired use the natural processing method. Therefore, this coffee bean also exhibits strong aroma and fermentation notes in its flavor profile. During natural processing, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly to patios for drying. The coffee cherries gradually dry while the beans inside become infused with fruity and aromatic flavors. Depending on weather and patio conditions, coffee cherries are dried on concrete patios for 3 to 5 days (8 hours daily).

When the coffee cherries reach a certain level of dryness, they are placed in a Guardiola dryer for 72 hours to complete the drying process and prevent fermentation. After drying is complete, the coffee cherries are mechanically processed to remove the fruit pulp and other parts. FrontStreet Coffee believes that natural processing can enhance sweetness and add mature red berry flavors to coffee beans.

The above is the information about Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain coffee beans compiled by FrontStreet Coffee, hoping to help coffee enthusiasts better understand Hacienda La Esmeralda. Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee conducts extensive brewing and roasting parameter tests before introducing any new beans. Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the most suitable roasting and brewing parameters for this Panama coffee bean with coffee enthusiasts.

FrontStreet Coffee Green Bean Analysis

By observing the Diamond Mountain natural green beans, FrontStreet Coffee notes that the green beans are yellowish in color, and natural processed green beans have more silver skin on the surface. Caturra green beans have a curved tail end, are round and slender, while Catuai beans are flat with a relatively thin, long tail end.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Record

Frontsteet's roaster used a Yangjia 800N semi-direct flame roaster with a batch size of 480g. The machine was preheated to 165°C before loading, with heat adjusted to 130 and damper opened to 3. The temperature returned to 150°C at 1'36", maintaining heat. At 112°C, heat remained unchanged, damper opened to 4, and at 127°C, heat increased to 140. At 6'15", the beans turned yellow, grassy aroma disappeared, entering the dehydration phase. At 151°C, heat was reduced to 110, damper remained at 4.

At 9'00", dehydration was complete, with wrinkles and black spots appearing on the bean surface, and toast aroma turning to coffee aroma—prelude to first crack. At this point, attention must be paid to listening for the first crack sound. At 10'48", first crack began, damper fully opened to 5. Post-first crack development time was 1'20", ending at 191°C when beans were discharged.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

FrontStreet Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting sample coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas typically use 200ml ceramic cups for cupping. Cupping water temperature is 94°C. Grind size is controlled to 70-75% pass-through rate using a #20 standard sieve (0.85mm). Ratio: 11.1g of coffee grounds to 200ml of hot water,即1:18.18, which extracts a concentration within the 1.15%-1.35% Golden Cup range. Steeping time is 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Citrus, berries

Wet Aroma: Citrus

Flavor: Citrus, honey, cocoa, fermented wine-like notes

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Experience

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate using China standard #20 sieve)

Frontsteet Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction

Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Using a small water flow, pour in a spiral to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for the water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Brewing Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, slight fermentation notes, smooth mouthfeel, cocoa aftertaste.

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