FrontStreet Coffee Teaches You How to Perfectly Brew Panama's Mariposa Coffee Beans!

FrontStreet Coffee is often asked by customers how to properly brew the Panama Butterfly beans. Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share how we brew these Panama Butterfly beans!

First, let FrontStreet Coffee introduce the Panama Butterfly beans to everyone~

Butterfly beans come from the Boquete region of Panama and are a typical "Geisha blend coffee." The so-called "Geisha blend" contains Geisha varieties mixed with other coffee varieties. For example, from FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, Panama Washed Butterfly, Ethiopia Gesha Village Garden's CHAKA, and Costa Rica Mirasu Strawberry Sugar are well-known Geisha blend representatives.

Among these, Butterfly from Panama's Boquete region—the birthplace of Geisha—is composed of three varieties: Geisha, Caturra, and Catuai, with the most prominent being high-quality washed Geisha, accounting for about 70%. The excellent growing conditions and 70% Geisha content give these beans not only the rich aroma of high-altitude Panamanian coffee but also outstanding orange-honey notes in cupping, whether in body, acidity, or floral notes.

FrontStreet Coffee will now share how we brew this Butterfly coffee!

1. Dripper

When it comes to dripper selection, FrontStreet Coffee believes that choosing either a Hario V60 or a wave filter for brewing are both excellent options! The Hario V60 dripper has a large outlet hole at the bottom, with curved spiral-structured ribs extending from bottom to top, which allows for faster coffee flow. However, since its ribs are curved, they slow down the coffee flow to some extent, increasing coffee ground extraction and better showcasing the aroma and rich flavor layers of Panama Butterfly beans.

The wave filter has three small holes at the bottom, making coffee flow slower in the filter, mainly through steeping. Additionally, its flat-bottom design allows coffee grounds to spread evenly at the filter bottom for more thorough and uniform extraction. Brewing with a wave filter yields pronounced aroma, balanced flavors, and relatively fuller body.

2. Grind Size

Grind size is crucial for coffee! If the grind is too fine, brewed coffee tends to be over-extracted with bitterness; if the grind is too coarse, brewed coffee tends to be under-extracted with sharp acidity. Different grind sizes should be selected based on the degree of roast and bean characteristics to minimize undesirable flavors while matching appropriate brewing techniques!

Because these Panama Butterfly beans are high-altitude and lightly roasted, they have a harder texture and are more resistant to extraction. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee chooses medium-fine grinding when brewing.

3. Water Temperature

After determining grind size for brewing a good cup of coffee, water temperature comes next. How important is water temperature to coffee? If the water temperature is too high, brewed coffee becomes bitter; if too low, brewed coffee becomes bland or only sour with insufficient sweetness.

When brewing Butterfly beans, FrontStreet Coffee chooses higher temperature water to bring out their floral notes~ Typically, water temperature is selected between 89-91°C.

4. Coffee-to-Water Ratio

After FrontStreet Coffee selects the appropriate grind size and water temperature, the next consideration is the coffee-to-water ratio during brewing! A suitable coffee-to-water ratio can effectively express the coffee's flavors~ If the ratio is too small, brewed coffee may have excessive concentration with overly concentrated flavors, making it difficult to appreciate multiple flavor notes; if the ratio is too large, brewed coffee may be too thin, tasting like coffee-flavored water.

When brewing Butterfly beans, FrontStreet Coffee chooses a coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15-1:16, which effectively showcases Butterfly's characteristics at these ratios.

5. Brewing Technique

FrontStreet Coffee chooses to use a segmented brewing technique for extraction. Segmented extraction can express the rich flavor layers of coffee while also improving coffee ground extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee first pours 15g of coffee grounds into the filter and levels it. The first segment involves pouring 30g of water for a 30-second bloom while starting the timer. Throughout the process, use a small water stream from the center point and spiral outward, ensuring the entire coffee bed is moistened.

The second segment continues with a straight small stream pouring 120g of water, aiming to lift the entire coffee bed. Try to circle in wider patterns to allow all coffee particles to enter degassing and extraction states. Complete this at around 1 minute and 5 seconds, when the timer scale shows 150g.

When the liquid level drops to halfway, start the third segment by pouring 90g with a small stream in smaller circles. Try to control the water flow to avoid too wide circles, as this can disrupt the coffee bed and cause under-extraction. Additionally, gentle rinsing can improve the release of sweet substances in the later stages of coffee.

Finally, the total water poured reaches 240g. Wait until all coffee liquid has finished dripping before removing the filter, which takes approximately 2 minutes and 20 seconds.

These are the brewing parameters for Panama Butterfly beans shared by FrontStreet Coffee! Finally, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share some things to note when brewing Panama Butterfly beans:

① Because Butterfly coffee has a relatively light roast degree, its expansion during blooming is not high;

② When brewing approaches the end, you'll notice the grounds have settled. This is actually normal because the beans are lightly roasted, meaning there isn't much gas inside the coffee beans, so degassing won't be vigorous. During brewing, much of the coffee's gas has already dissipated, so when approaching the end, the coffee grounds settle due to lack of gas support.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473