How to Brew Panama Boquete Catuo Orange Estate Natural Caturra for the Best Taste?

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The flavor of Panama Boquete Catowa Orange Estate Natural Caturra is filled with fruitiness and berry acidity, with a somewhat complex and prickly sensation. The aftertaste is rich with blueberry notes. The raw beans appear hard and green, which is the most distinctive characteristic of Caturra.

Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. It offers better yield and disease resistance than Bourbon, with shorter tree height that facilitates harvesting. However, like Bourbon, it suffers from biennial production cycles. Its flavor quality is comparable to or slightly inferior to Bourbon, but more importantly, it has extremely strong adaptability - it doesn't require shade trees and can thrive directly under intense sunlight, commonly known as "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilization, increasing costs, so farmers were initially slow to accept it.

However, in the 1970s when coffee prices surged, farmers switched to Caturra to increase production. With vigorous promotion by Brazilian and Colombian authorities, the results were abundant. Farmers' acceptance of Caturra signified a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-exposed cultivation methods. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing production by 60%. No wonder the high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become a variety that major coffee-producing countries rely on today.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation at altitudes ranging from 700 meters to 1700 meters, showing strong altitude adaptability. However, the higher the altitude, the better the flavor quality, though yield decreases accordingly - this is the destiny of specialty coffee. Some academics describe Caturra as a dense, sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which is remarkably insightful. In Central and South America, there is also a yellow variety called Caturra Amarello, but its reputation doesn't match that of Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra exhibits pronounced acidic aromas and overall brightness. With proper processing, sweetness can be expressed exceptionally well. However, the body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red cherries, but in extremely rare regions, yellow Caturra exists. For example, Hawaii grows very small quantities of yellow Caturra.

Brewing Recommendations

So how should you brew the Panama Boquete Catowa Orange Estate Natural Caturra? FrontStreet Coffee recommends the hand pour method:

Filter: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90°C
Dose: 15g
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG 6S: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)
Brewing Method:分段式萃取

Use 34g of water for bloom for 30 seconds. With a small water stream, pour in a circular motion to 127g, then segment when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed. Continue pouring to 226g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from bloom) Total extraction time is 2'05".

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473