The Impact of Coffee Varieties on Flavor: The Difference Between Elida Catuai and Typica

As a century-old estate, Elida Estate has consistently produced coffee of exceptional quality. Located in Panama's renowned specialty coffee region - Boquete, Elida Estate covers a total area of 65 hectares. More than half of this area lies within the Baru Volcano National Park, with only 30 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation while the remainder remains pristine primary forest.

The coffee at this estate is grown at altitudes ranging from 1,670 to 1,850 meters, making it one of the two highest-altitude coffee estates in Panama (the other estate with similar altitude being Carmen Estate located in the Volcán Valley).

Under such high-altitude conditions, low temperatures delay the maturation of coffee cherries by about a month compared to normal maturation periods. The fertile volcanic soil provides abundant nutrients for the coffee, combined with the excellent microclimate brought by Baru Volcano, enabling Elida Estate to consistently achieve outstanding results in cupping competitions.

In addition to the exceptionally advantageous high altitude and microclimate, estate owner Mr. Wilford has devoted considerable effort to harvesting and processing. To achieve the highest standards, Elida Estate's coffee is only hand-picked from the most mature coffee cherries (Ripe on Pinton). The high maturity level of the fruit naturally results in higher sugar content in the mucilage, which is the foundation for the superior flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Elida coffee beans.

Besides being extremely strict about coffee cultivation, harvesting, and processing processes, Mr. Wilford of Elida Estate is also more rigorous than industry peers in the "purification" of green beans after processing. For FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida, after green bean processing is completed, it requires more than 5 months of low-temperature resting to remove greenness, allowing the coffee's flavor to develop more balanced and full-bodied characteristics.

(Low-temperature resting is a green bean purification concept strongly promoted by coffee master George Howell since 2006. We found that while green beans from subtropical regions indeed need to be stored at low temperatures, different processing methods and altitude levels will change the required time for low-temperature resting. For FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida, 5 months of low-temperature resting proves optimal.)

Processing Methods

Natural Process

The harvested coffee cherries are poured into large water tanks, where mature and full cherries sink to the bottom, while floating beans are discarded. The entire coffee cherries with pulp, skin, and parchment are placed on drying patios for sun-drying until reaching approximately 12% moisture content, which takes about two to four weeks. Finally, hulling machines remove the dried hard skin, pulp, and parchment layer, revealing the green beans.

Advantages of Natural Process

1. Simple process with low processing costs.
2. Green beans dry naturally within the fruit pulp, absorbing the essence of the fruit, resulting in intense fruity aroma, noticeable sweetness, and excellent body.

Elida Estate primarily grows three varieties: Catuai, Typica, and Geisha. The estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountainside, allowing coffee to be transported to the factory immediately after picking to ensure the quality of coffee cherries is not affected.

Although they all come from the same estate and undergo the same processing method, different varieties indeed bring different flavors! Today, let's explore how different coffee varieties from the same Elida Estate affect flavor profiles.

Variety Comparison

Typica

Typica is one of the ancient varieties of Arabica coffee species discovered today, with another being Bourbon. The Arabica species originates from Ethiopia, where this variety still grows naturally in the local primary rainforest highlands today.

Typica beans are slender and elongated, with tall tree structure and oval-shaped fruits. The branches are slightly inclined. Typica has an elongated form with spreading growth habit, inclined at 50-70 degrees. The coffee yield per tree is very low, but cupping scores are high.

Catuai

Catuai is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, essentially a second-generation hybrid. The variety name Catuai comes from an indigenous language meaning "very good."

It inherits the advantage of Caturra's low tree height, improving upon the disadvantage of Mundo Novo; it also compensates for the weakness of Arabica fruits being vulnerable to wind. The fruit set is solid and not easily dropped when exposed to strong winds. The biggest regret is that its overall flavor is somewhat monotonous compared to Caturra. It was discovered by Brazilian agricultural research institutions in the 1950s-1960s. Some sources say it first appeared in the late 1940s.

As a member of the Arabica family, Catuai has relatively high yield. The plant is relatively small, with a small angle between lateral branches and main branches. Besides high yield, another prominent advantage is that coffee cherries don't easily fall off after maturation, providing strong resistance to wind and rain. It is favored in regions with high wind and rainfall. Additionally, it requires adequate fertilization and care.

From the perspective of green beans, both varieties have a yellowish color and carry fermented fruity aromas. FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Typica has slightly curved ends with an oval shape and appears thin and flat from the side; while FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Elida Catuai appears smaller and more rounded in shape.

Roasting Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee · Panama Elida Typica

Roaster: Yangjia 600g Semi-direct heat

Preheat roaster to 200°C, damper open to 3, heat set to 160°C, damper unchanged. Return temperature at 1'30", adjust heat once at 148°C. At this point, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration complete. Heat unchanged, damper adjusted to 4.

At 7'45", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this moment, listen carefully for the sound of first crack onset. At 8'35", first crack begins, reduce heat to 65°C, damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not too small to stop cracking sounds). 1'45" after first crack, unload at 194.5°C.

FrontStreet Coffee · Panama Elida Catuai

Roaster: Yangjia 600g Semi-direct heat

Preheat roaster to 200°C, damper open to 3, heat 160°C. Return temperature at 1'30", adjust heat once at 152°C, damper open to 4. At this point, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration complete. At 166°C, adjust heat to 130°C, damper unchanged.

At 7'43", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on bean surface, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this moment, listen carefully for the sound of first crack onset. At 8'27", first crack begins, reduce heat to 80°C, damper adjusted to 5 (adjust heat very carefully, not too small to stop cracking sounds). 1'45" after first crack, unload at 195.5°C.

Flavor Comparison

Cupping

FrontStreet Coffee's Elida Typica: Features fermented fruit aroma and jasmine fragrance. On entry, notes of peach and orange acidity with sweet-tart vibration. Raisin and cane sugar sweetness is prominent, with an overall refreshing sweet character.

FrontStreet Coffee's Elida Catuai: Features fermented wine aroma and rose fragrance. On entry, notes of berries, citrus, and green tea flavors, with cream, nutty aftertaste and cane sugar sweetness, overall more balanced.

Pour Over

Filter: V60

Water Temperature: 89°C

Grind Size: BG 5R (Chinese standard 20-mesh sieve pass rate 58%)

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Technique: 30g water bloom for 30 seconds, small water flow slow pour to 125g for分段 (segmentation), wait for water level to drop and just before the coffee bed is exposed, continue pouring to 230g water to finish.

FrontStreet Coffee's Elida Typica: On entry, orange and citrus acidity with fermented wine aroma, raisin and preserved fruit sweetness, with sweet-tart vibration, black tea aftertaste, persistent cane sugar and caramel aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Elida Catuai: On entry, citrus and berry acidity, raisin sweetness, with nutty, chocolate, and cream flavors, pine nut aftertaste.

The comparison reveals that Elida's Typica tends toward preserved fruit-like sweetness, while Catuai features nutty and chocolate flavors. Therefore, even when grown in the same estate with similar altitudes, different varieties produce distinctly different flavors!

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473