Panama Bambito Estate Natural Red Wine Pour-Over Parameters & Flavor Profile

Bambito Estate Coffee Details

Estate Name: Bambito Estate Coffee

Country: Panama

Village: Bambito

City: Chiriqui Province

Coffee Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Typica

Average Altitude: 1756m

Flavor Profile: Citrus and floral notes, clean and bright acidity, a cocoa-like aftertaste, honey sweetness, with excellent richness and complexity.

Geographic and Historical Context

Chiriqui Volcano (Volcan de Chiriqui) is a dormant volcano, also known as Baru Volcano (Volcan Baru). It is the highest mountain in Panama, with its main peak reaching 3,474 meters (11,398 feet), making it Panama's highest point.

Bambito sits near the northwestern flank of Chiriqui Volcano. The area has fertile land and access to water from the natural Chiriqui River, which local farmers use to wash their coffee.

In the Best of Panama competition, this estate has placed at the top four times in the past eight years - a truly remarkable record.

Bambito Estate Introduction

Country: Panama

Region: Boquete

Bean Variety: Caturra

Processing Method: Red Wine Natural Fermentation

Altitude: 1750m

Flavor Description: Cupping score 88.5, with notes of red cherry, strawberry, lactic acidity, red fruits, dark raisins, lychee, honeydew melon, yellow apricot and cream, and excellent balance.

Bambito Estate Coffee was established in 1945 and took second place in the 2006 Best of Panama (BOP) competition. This natural treasure has since become a rising star in the world coffee community.

The plantation sits at altitudes between 1,660 and 1,800 meters, with an average temperature of 20°C. Volcanic soil combined with its position between two mountain ridges creates a unique microclimate.

Thanks to this privileged location, gentle sunshine and mild northern winds, varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon and Typica grown here show balanced flavors of chocolate, citrus and berries.

Geisha planted at the highest point of the farm, bathed in the slowly rising sunlight each morning, shows cupping qualities of sweet citrus, bergamot, florals and lime.

In 1945, estate owner Albert Sitton purchased the present-day Bambito Estate in Bugaba, Panama. Since then he maintained his passion and followed traditional cultivation practices, and today the estate has been handed down to Itza, who in turn involves her children in running the farm.

Bambito Estate lies near the northwestern part of Chiriqui Volcano, where fertile land and water from the natural Chiriqui River allow farmers to wash their coffee with pure mountain water.

Each year, Bambito Estate hosts an average of 40 people living on the farm, hand-picking the coffee cherries. After harvest, farmers selectively prune trees, always upholding the principle of protecting the forest and its surrounding ecosystem.

The estate also works with local Panamanian institutions, providing scholarships to Nueva Suiza Elementary School, located one kilometer from the farm, and supplies personal items and health insurance for workers during the harvest season. Local processing is somewhat distinctive: machines first remove the fruit skin, then the coffee dries in the sun for about twelve hours, after which mechanical drying brings the moisture content down to 11-12% before the coffee is bagged for export.

In the Best of Panama competition, the estate has achieved top rankings four times in the past eight years - a brilliant record that makes it a truly distinguished farm.

Citrus and floral notes, clean bright acidity, a cocoa-like aftertaste, honey sweetness and excellent richness and complexity are the hallmarks of this estate.

Brewing Guide

How to Brew Panama Coffee [Bambito Estate Red Wine Natural Fermentation]?

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-Over Reference: Weigh out 15g of [Bambito Estate Red Wine Natural Fermentation] coffee and grind it to a medium consistency; the particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use a BG grinder at setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water at 90°C, and a V60 dripper for extraction.

Pour hot water from the kettle in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, and start timing as you begin. Within 15 seconds, bring the brew up to 30g, then stop pouring. At the 1-minute mark, start the second pour, again in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the dripper, making sure the stream never hits the area where the grounds meet the filter paper, to avoid channeling.

Leave one ring of margin when the water reaches the outermost edge of the grounds, then continue pouring in circles back toward the center. By 2 minutes 20 seconds the brew should reach 220g, and the brewing is complete.

Cold Brew [Bambito Estate Red Wine Natural Fermentation]

FrontStreet Coffee Cold Brew [Bambito Estate Red Wine Natural Fermentation] Reference:

Panama coffee [Bambito Estate Red Wine Natural Fermentation], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 4B, grind level 3, 20g of beans, 87°C water, 3-minute bloom, brewed in a Chemex and then finished with ice water, for a total water volume of 200ml.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Panama's coffee lands sit in the country's western highlands, with Boquete and Volcan the best-known specialty regions, both in Chiriqui Province right at the heart of the coffee belt, blessed with fertile volcanic soil and old-growth forest shade. If this red-wine natural Bambito lot sparks your love for Panamanian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's Boquete Washed Gesha is an ideal estate-level entry into Gesha: grown at 1600 meters on rich volcanic ash soil, it brews into jasmine florals with green tea, honey, citrus and orange notes. For a more budget-friendly taste of that Gesha heritage, the FrontStreet Panama Washed Flower Butterfly carries half Gesha lineage - a blend of Geisha, Caturra and Catuai from the Baru volcano area - and shows outstanding body, citrus acidity and jasmine aroma, working equally well for pour-over and cold brew.

And for the ultimate Panamanian experience, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label Gesha is harvested from a single plot above 1700 meters and must cup at 91 or higher, offering the refined orange aroma and honeyed finish that made Esmeralda famous as both the discoverer and the great promoter of Panama Gesha.