Palm Tree and Toucan Estate Panama CCD Project Alti Estate Slow Dried Catuai Characteristics

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Palm Tree & Toucan Estate CCD Project

Region: Boquete, Panama

Estate: Altieri Estate

Altitude: 1650m

Variety: Catuai

Processing Method: Slow Natural (Palm Tree & Toucan Estate Processing)

About the CCD Project

CCD stands for "Creativa Coffee District," a forward-thinking specialty coffee producer initiative in Panama's Chiriquí Province, Boquete region. This project actively advocates for the modernization of traditional processing methods, introducing advanced coffee processing experience and cutting-edge equipment, and enthusiastically attracting innovative coffee processing estate owners and managers from around the world to collaborate in Panama. It establishes new coffee production standards to ensure growers receive higher income and guarantees sustainable ecological practices at global coffee processing stations.

A Dream Collaboration

It is precisely the CCD project that has enabled the famous innovative Palm Tree & Toucan Estate to create a dream collaboration with Panama's Altieri Estate.

Palm Tree & Toucan Estate — Technology Export

Palm Tree & Toucan Estate was founded in 2011 by a collective of mad scientists, passionate founders, persistent farmers, and gifted artists!

One of the estate's founders, Felipe, has been in the specialty coffee industry for over a decade. He previously operated green bean trading in the United States and decided around 2010 to return to Colombia to dedicate himself to the specialty coffee revolution in his homeland. Estate manager Sebastian won the 2018 Colombia Brewers Cup Championship and is enthusiastic about promoting Colombian coffee worldwide.

Unlike traditional coffee producers, they didn't inherit any coffee estates from previous generations but instead sought from scratch what they considered the ideal coffee growing environment (Ecotopo): ideal altitude, perfect weather, appropriate sunlight and natural shade, good water sources, suitable temperatures, and dedicated coffee growers in the region.

In addition to actively assisting surrounding small farmers in improving their cultivation and processing levels (Neighbors & Crops project), the estate owners have dedicated themselves over the past five years to cultivating unique terroir flavors at their Finca Libre estate, investing significant resources and time in cultivation and processing. Furthermore, they have developed different product lines to satisfy the preferences of different flavor audiences—this is the estate's highest quality representative, the Estate & Varietals project. Now they are expanding internationally, exporting cultivation and processing management techniques. The CCD project serves as an excellent platform that allows Palm Tree & Toucan Estate founders Felipe and manager Sebastian to showcase their expertise on a broader stage, launching the project in 2018.

Altieri Estate — Understated and Refined

Altieri Estate is situated on the eastern slopes of Baru Volcano in Panama and was founded by Eugene P. Altieri, an American-born New Yorker who has lived in Panama for over 40 years. He owns two estates—one at a lower average altitude of approximately 1,350 meters and another at 2,000 meters, both located in the Boquete region. This particular Catuai is cultivated in the high-altitude area of 1,650 meters. Catuai is a man-made hybrid cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra, originally developed by the Agronomic Institute of São Paulo State in Brazil, later favored by Central American countries for its high yield, disease resistance, and excellent flavor characteristics.

Processing Method — Slow Natural

Palm Tree & Toucan Estate established a coffee processing plant in Panama, reaching cooperation agreements with surrounding cultivation estates—where estates provide coffee cherries, and the processing plant utilizes advanced processing techniques for processing. This particular Catuai from Altieri Estate employs the slow natural processing method.

First, fresh coffee cherries are collected, and qualified red cherries undergo natural processing. The coffee cherries are spread thinly on raised beds, creating excellent convection and drying conditions. This natural process typically lasts 18 days, employing the strictest management methods with precise control over daily drying progress. Then hulling is performed. The slow natural process allows coffee cherries to develop optimal activity during the drying process, not only creating more layered flavors in the coffee beans but also enabling the green beans to maintain longer storage during the seasonal cycle.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

FrontStreet Coffee introduced this coffee bean as a joint production between Palm Tree & Toucan Estate and Altieri Estate, utilizing Palm Tree & Toucan Estate's slow natural processing technique. FrontStreet Coffee employs a medium-light roast to highlight its abundant sweetness and rich layered complexity.

Charge at 155°C, heat at 120, damper opened to 3; Return temperature at 96.8°C (1'32"), when drum temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 4, heat unchanged; When drum temperature reaches 154°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. At 8'30", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack.

When drum temperature reaches 184°C, reduce heat to 70, at this point listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'52", damper adjusted to 5. When drum temperature reaches 188°C, reduce heat to 50, develop for 1'30" after first crack, drop at 190°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Results

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (Chinese standard #20 sieve, 80% pass-through)

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, then continue pouring with small circular motions to 125g for stage separation. When the water level drops to just expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops to just expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. Extraction time is 1'55" (timing starts from bloom).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473