What Makes Diamond Mountain Coffee Green Bean Distinct?

Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda grows its Diamond Mountain line from Caturra and Catuai, harvested on the Jaramillo and Canas Verdes farms at 1400 to 1700 meters. The lots are naturally processed, and the green bean appearance is recorded before roasting. In the cup, this combination of volcanic soil, primary forest shade and careful drying gives the sweet, fruity profile the line is known for.

Caturra, a natural Bourbon mutation found in Brazil in 1937, yields well and grows from 700 to 1700 meters with little need for shade. Catuai adds its own structure to the blend. Roast curve records and three-stage pour-over parameters accompany the release, so buyers can compare how a naturally processed coffee green bean from these farms performs at home.

In addition to the world-renowned Geisha variety, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda's Diamond Mountain series is also a focal point for coffee enthusiasts. This article centers on Front Street Panama Diamond Mountain coffee, providing a detailed introduction to its regional terroir, the characteristics of the two main varieties Caturra and Catuai, the natural processing method, green bean appearance features, roasting curve records, and cupping flavor performance, along with Front Street baristas' pour-over extraction parameters and three-stage pouring technique. By systematically sorting through the complete information from cultivation to brewing, it helps readers more comprehensively understand the source of Diamond Mountain coffee's sweetness, fruity notes, and mouthfeel layers, providing practical reference for daily brewing.

Front Street Panama Diamond Mountain Coffee Introduction

Front Street Diamond Mountain coffee comes from a star product line under Hacienda La Esmeralda, with the main cultivated varieties being Caturra and Catuai. The green beans of Front Street Diamond Mountain are harvested from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of the four independent farms under Hacienda La Esmeralda. The volcanic soil of these two farms provides ideal conditions for coffee cultivation, and the surrounding primary forests also create ample shade for the coffee trees. It is precisely this superior natural endowment that gives the produced green beans abundant fruity aroma and sweetness, making it an independent brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda that is widely favored alongside Geisha.

Front Street Coffee: Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda — Natural Diamond Mountain Coffee Beans

Coffee Region: Boquete

Coffee Estate: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Growing Altitude: 1400-1700m

Coffee Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

Processing Method: Natural Processing

Caturra & Catuai Varieties

Caturra & Catuai

Front Street previously mentioned that the varieties first introduced and planted on a large scale at Hacienda La Esmeralda were precisely Caturra and Catuai. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its yield and disease resistance are both superior to Bourbon, with a short tree shape, convenient harvesting, and strong adaptability. It can grow without shade trees and can be planted in areas from 700 to 1700 meters in altitude, showing high tolerance for altitude. However, the higher the altitude, the better the flavor performance, while yield decreases accordingly.

Catuai is a variety artificially crossbred and selected in 1949 from Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo, originally numbered "H-2077." Catuai has strong resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. Due to its short plant size, it can be planted at double density, and its low stature makes pest and disease control relatively convenient. Catuai grows vigorously and is short in height, but is susceptible to leaf rust.

Diamond Mountain Series

Diamond Mountain

The Caturra and Catuai of the Diamond Mountain series are planted in two areas, Canas Verdes and Jaramillo, with the overall coffee planting distributed between 1400 and 1700 meters in altitude. Diamond Mountain brand coffee holds Eco-friendly and Rainforest Alliance Certified certifications.

Rainforest Alliance Certified: Farms that meet the standards set by the Rainforest Alliance are assessed by the alliance for protection of themselves and surrounding ecosystems, restrictions on pesticide use, and benchmarks including waste management. Only coffee that passes assessment and obtains certification can be called "Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee." Because the coffee cultivation process has low impact on the ecological environment, the Panamanian government has also issued the Eco-friendly ecological label to Diamond Mountain series coffee beans.

Natural Processing Method

Natural

The Diamond Mountain beans procured by Front Street Coffee use the natural processing method. During the natural process, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly to the courtyard for drying. As the cherries gradually dry, the coffee beans remain wrapped inside, slowly absorbing fruit and aromatic substances. Depending on weather and site conditions, the coffee cherries are dried on concrete patios for 3 to 5 days, about 8 hours per day.

When the coffee cherries have dried to a certain degree, they are sent into a Guardiola drier and rotated for 72 hours to complete drying and prevent fermentation. After drying is completed, the skin, pulp, and other parts are removed mechanically. Front Street Coffee believes that the natural processing method can add sweetness and ripe red berry flavors to the coffee beans.

Front Street Coffee Green Bean Analysis

After observing Diamond Mountain's natural green beans, Front Street Coffee found that the green beans are yellowish in color, and natural green beans also have relatively more silver skin on the surface. Caturra green beans have a curved tail end and are round and slender in shape; Catuai beans are flat in body with a relatively slender tail end.

Front Street Coffee Roasting Record

Front Street's roaster used a Yangjia 800N semi-direct fire roaster with a batch size of 480g. The drum temperature was preheated to 165°C for charging, the gas was adjusted to 130, the airflow was opened to 3, the turning point was at 1'36", and the gas was maintained; at 112°C the gas remained unchanged, the airflow was opened to 4, and at 127°C the gas was increased to 140. At 6'15" the beans turned yellow, the grassy smell disappeared, and the dehydration stage began. At 151°C the gas was lowered to 110, and the airflow was maintained at 4.

At 9'00" dehydration was complete, wrinkles and dark streaks appeared on the bean surface, the toast aroma turned into coffee aroma, and the prelude to first crack began. At this point it is necessary to listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 10'48" first crack began, the airflow was fully opened to 5, the development time after first crack was 1'20", and the beans were dropped at 191°C.

Front Street Coffee Cupping Report

Front Street Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after roasting the sample coffee beans. Front Street Coffee baristas usually use ceramic cupping bowls with a capacity of 200ml. The cupping water temperature is 94°C. The grind size is controlled so that 70%-75% passes through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85 mm). The ratio is 11.1 grams of coffee grounds plus 200 milliliters of hot water, that is, 1:18.18, so that the extracted concentration falls exactly within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%, and the steeping time is 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Citrus, Berry

Wet Aroma: Citrus

Flavor: Citrus, Honey, Cocoa, Fermented Wine Aroma

Front Street Coffee Brewing Notes

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% passing through China standard No. 20 sieve)

Front Street Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, pour in a small stream in circles until 125 grams for the first stage, and when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timing starts at the beginning of the bloom.) Extraction time is 2'00".

Brewing Flavor: Citrus, bright acidity, nuts, honey, slight fermented note, smooth mouthfeel, cocoa finish.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.