Front Street Diamond Mountain Coffee originates from an independent brand under Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, featuring Caturra and Catuai varieties grown on the Jaramillo and Canas Verdes farms at elevations of 1,400 to 1,700 meters, with volcanic soil and shade from primary forest. This article provides a detailed introduction to the Diamond Mountain series, covering variety characteristics, Rainforest Alliance certification, natural processing methods, green bean appearance, roasting curve, cupping report, and brewing parameters, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this coffee that combines fruity aroma and sweetness.

Introduction to Front Street Panama Diamond Mountain Coffee

Front Street Diamond Mountain Coffee comes from a star brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda, primarily cultivating two varieties: Caturra and Catuai. The green beans of Front Street Diamond Mountain are sourced from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of the four independent farms under Hacienda La Esmeralda. The volcanic soil on these farms provides superior conditions for coffee cultivation, and the surrounding primary forest offers ample shade for the coffee trees. It is this exceptional environment that gives the green beans a rich fruity aroma and sweetness, making it an independent brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda that is just as highly regarded as Geisha.

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

Coffee Region: Boquete

Coffee Farm: Hacienda La Esmeralda

Growing Altitude: 1,400-1,700m

Coffee Varieties: Catuai, Caturra

Processing Method: Natural Process

Caturra & Catuai Varieties

Caturra & Catuai

As Front Street just mentioned, Caturra and Catuai were the first varieties introduced and primarily cultivated by Hacienda La Esmeralda. Caturra is a Bourbon mutation discovered in Brazil in 1937. It outperforms Bourbon in productivity and disease resistance, has a shorter stature that facilitates harvesting, and is highly adaptable. It does not require shade trees and can be planted from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1,700 meters, showing a wide range of altitude adaptability. However, the higher the altitude, the better the flavor, though productivity decreases accordingly.

Catuai is a variety developed in 1949 through artificial crossbreeding of Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo, initially called "H-2077." Catuai has strong resistance to adverse conditions, especially wind and rain. Due to its short stature, it can be planted at double density, and its low height makes pest and disease control relatively easier. 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 cultivated in two areas, Canas Verdes and Jaramillo, with coffee cultivation distributed at elevations of 1,400 to 1,700 meters. Diamond Mountain brand coffee holds Eco-friendly and Rainforest Alliance Certified designations.

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

Natural Processing Method

Natural

The Diamond Mountain beans sourced by Front Street Coffee are processed using the natural method. During the natural process, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly to patios for drying. The coffee cherries gradually dry while the coffee beans remain inside, filling the beans with fruity and aromatic flavors. Depending on weather and site conditions, the coffee cherries are dried on concrete platforms for 3 to 5 days (8 hours per day).

Once the coffee cherries have dried to a certain degree, they are placed in a Guardiola drier and rotated for 72 hours to complete drying and prevent fermentation. After drying is complete, the coffee cherries undergo mechanical removal of the skin, pulp, and other parts. Front Street Coffee believes that the natural processing method adds sweetness and ripe red berry flavors to the coffee beans.

Front Street Coffee Green Bean Analysis

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

Front Street Coffee Roasting Record

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

At 9'00" dehydration was complete, wrinkles and dark patches appeared on the bean surface, toast aroma shifted to coffee fragrance, signaling the pre-first crack stage—at this point listen carefully for the first crack sound. At 10'48" first crack began, airflow fully opened to 5, post-first-crack development time 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 sample coffee beans are roasted. The cupping bowls used by Front Street Coffee baristas are typically 200ml ceramic bowls. The water temperature used for cupping is 94°C. The grind size is controlled so that 70%-75% passes through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85mm). The ratio is 11.1g of coffee grounds to 200ml of hot water, i.e., 1:18.18, so that the extracted concentration falls within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%, with a steeping time of 4 minutes.

Dry Aroma: Citrus, Berries

Wet Aroma: Citrus

Flavor: Citrus, Honey, Cocoa, Fermented Wine Aroma

Front Street Coffee Brewing Notes

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

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

Front Street Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then pour in a slow circular motion until reaching 125g for the first stage; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop; when the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming.) Total extraction time is 2'00".

Brewing Flavor: Citrus, Bright Acidity, Nuts, Honey, Slight Fermentation, Smooth Mouthfeel, Cocoa Finish.

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