Panama Coffee Beans | Introduction to Catuai Coffee Beans from Elida Estate in Boquete Region

Panama Coffee: From Volcanic Peaks to Global Recognition

Panamanian coffee enjoys extremely high recognition in the global coffee market, especially the Geisha variety. In 2005, through the Best of Panama competition and auction, Geisha stood out with its excellent flavor and performance, making this variety famous overnight. Therefore, many people have the impression that Panamanian coffee is primarily planted with Geisha. In fact, Panama also cultivates other coffee varieties.

Panama: The Land of Coffee

Panama is located in the southern part of Central America, with its S-shaped territory connecting Costa Rica and Colombia. Additionally, it borders the Caribbean Sea to the east and faces the Pacific Ocean to the west. As its territory connects North and South America, and the Panama Canal within the country connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it is known as the "Bridge of the World." Panama's terrain is undulating with crisscrossing valleys. Besides the coastal plains, most areas are mountainous, featuring rich forest and river resources, as well as several volcanoes that provide ideal growing conditions for coffee trees.

Panama is close to the equator and has a tropical marine climate, with humid days and cool nights. The annual average temperature ranges between 23℃-27℃, with annual rainfall averaging 1500-2500 millimeters, mainly divided into dry and rainy seasons. Due to its geographical environment, Panama has complex and variable microclimates. The environment from east to west allows cold air currents to flow through the central mountain range and converge above 1900 meters, creating a very unique microclimate in the Boquete and Volcán Candela regions. The surrounding land in these areas is nutrient-rich due to volcanic ash, and these fertile soils provide perfect cultivation conditions for coffee growth, making them the main producing areas for Panamanian coffee.

Boquete: The Heart of Panamanian Coffee

Coffee-producing regions are mainly divided into Boquete, Volcán-Candela, and Renacimiento. These producing areas are all located around three volcanoes in the country: Volcán Baru, El Valle, and La Yeguada.

Boquete can be said to be the most well-known coffee-producing region in Panama, as this region has many famous estates, such as Hacienda La Esmeralda, Duncan Estate, and Elida Estate. The main Boquete producing region has excellent coffee cultivation conditions, with coffee grown in areas at altitudes of 1200-2000 meters. The temperature here ranges between 11℃-27℃, neither too cold nor too hot. Additionally, the significant temperature difference allows coffee cherries to grow slowly and develop flavor. There is also moderate rainfall, fertile land brought by volcanic ash, sufficient sunlight, and local special microclimates, enabling this producing region to produce high-quality coffee.

Elida Estate: High-Altitude Excellence

Elida Estate covers a total area of 65 hectares, with more than half located within the Barú Volcano National Park. Only 30 hectares of the estate are used for growing coffee trees, while the remainder remains primary forest. Coffee is cultivated at altitudes of 1670-1850 meters, making it one of the two highest-altitude coffee estates in Panama. In such high-altitude environments, low temperatures delay the maturation period of coffee cherries, while fertile volcanic soil provides sufficient nutrients. Combined with the unique microclimate of this region, Elida Estate has achieved excellent results multiple times in the Best of Panama (BOP) competition.

Elida Estate employs hand-picking of the most mature cherries. Due to the high maturity of the cherries, the sugar content in the mucilage is also higher. Additionally, Elida Estate's processing plant is located halfway up the mountain, allowing coffee cherries to be transported to the factory for processing immediately after harvesting, ensuring the quality of the coffee cherries. Currently, Elida Estate mainly cultivates Catuai, Typica, and Geisha varieties.

Catuai: A Resilient Hybrid Variety

The Catuai variety was developed by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil, as a hybrid between Mundo Novo and Caturra. On Catuai coffee plants, similar to Caturra, the branches are smaller, the leaves are green and slightly curled, and the fruits are tightly spaced. The fruits are mainly red, with average-sized, oval-shaped coffee beans, though relatively smaller than Caturra. The overall plant shape is shorter, allowing for dense planting. It has good yields and is suitable for high-altitude cultivation but is susceptible to leaf rust, nematodes, and coffee berry disease. Currently, it is mainly cultivated in countries such as Brazil, Honduras, and Guatemala.

FrontStreet Coffee Panama Elida Catuai Coffee Beans

Region: Boquete producing region

Estate/Processing Plant: Elida Estate

Altitude: 1850 meters

Variety: Catuai

Processing Method: Natural processing

Flavor Notes: Peach, Raisin, Orange, Caramel, Green Tea

This Panama Elida Estate Catuai coffee bean from FrontStreet Coffee uses natural processing. When FrontStreet Coffee brews it using V60 with a 1:15 ratio, you'll notice a slight wine aroma brought by the natural processing. On the palate, you'll experience flavors of peach, raisin, and orange, with caramel-like sweetness and a green tea-like mouthfeel, resulting in high cleanliness.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473