How do coffee bean trees shape Diamond Mountain flavor?

Front Street Diamond Mountain coffee comes from Hacienda La Esmeralda and is built on two varieties, Caturra and Catuai, grown on the Jaramillo and Canas Verdes farms. Caturra, a natural Bourbon mutation found in Brazil in 1937, suits altitudes between 700 and 1,700 meters, while Catuai, developed in 1949 from Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo, adds yield and a clean, bright cup.

Volcanic soil and primary forest shade on those farms give the green beans their fruit aromas and sweetness. Processing decides the final profile: the washed Diamond Mountain shows grape, orange, and butterscotch notes, while the natural version leans nutty and chocolate. Guardiola dryers plus 30 to 45 days of resting round out the cup.

Front Street Diamond Mountain coffee originates from Hacienda La Esmeralda's star brand, with green beans sourced from two independent farms, Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, where volcanic soil and primary forest shade create rich fruit aromas and sweetness. The varieties are mainly Caturra and Catuai. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon with strong altitude adaptability; Catuai is a cross between Yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo, offering high yield and a clean, bright flavor. Front Street's washed Diamond Mountain presents grape, orange, and butterscotch notes, while the natural process version brings nutty and chocolate undertones. Hacienda La Esmeralda's mature natural processing techniques, combined with Guardiola dryers and 30 to 45 days of resting, further enhance the cup performance.

1. Diamond Mountain

Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain trademark

Front Street Diamond Mountain coffee comes from Hacienda La Esmeralda's star brand, with Caturra and Catuai as the core varieties. The green beans of this lot are sourced from Jaramillo and Canas Verdes, two of the four independent farms under Hacienda La Esmeralda. These two farms have volcanic soil, providing ideal conditions for coffee cultivation, while the primary forest provides ample shade for the coffee trees. It is this exceptional environment that gives the green beans rich fruit aromas and sweetness, making it an independent brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda that is as highly sought after as Geisha.

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Its productivity and disease resistance are both superior to Bourbon. The tree is shorter, making harvesting easier, and it has strong adaptability, requiring no shade trees, suitable for planting between 700 and 1,700 meters above sea level. Its altitude range is very broad, but the higher the altitude, the better the flavor, while productivity decreases accordingly.

Catuai comes from the Guarani phrase "multo mom," meaning "very good." This variety is divided into Yellow Catuai and Red Catuai. Catuai was developed in 1949 by crossing Yellow Caturra with Mundo Novo, originally named H-2077. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, and Mundo Novo is a natural cross between Bourbon and Typica.

Therefore, Catuai combines the advantages of both: high yield, strong disease resistance, and a clean, bright flavor. Compared to Bourbon, Catuai's yield is much higher, partly because the plant is smaller, allowing shorter spacing, with planting density nearly twice that of Bourbon.

Despite its high yield, Catuai's flavor potential is considerable. The base of Diamond Mountain coffee is provided by the Catuai variety, bringing pleasant citrus acidity, a solid, full body, and the high sweetness typical of the Bourbon family.

Front Street Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain coffee flavor (washed): grape, orange, butterscotch (medium-light roast).

Front Street Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain coffee flavor (natural): nut, chocolate (medium roast).

The bonus of Diamond Mountain coffee: Hacienda La Esmeralda natural processing

The quality of Front Street Diamond Mountain coffee benefits not only from its superior growing environment and high-yield varieties, but also from another advantage: Hacienda La Esmeralda's mature processing techniques. The Diamond Mountain cupped here uses Hacienda La Esmeralda's natural process. At Hacienda La Esmeralda, harvested coffee cherries are sent directly to the courtyard for drying, where the fruit is evenly dried. As is characteristic of natural coffee, the pulp and beans dry together, and the beans absorb the sugars, developing richer fruit and fermented aromas.

Depending on weather and space conditions, the coffee is dried on concrete platforms for 3 to 5 days, 8 hours per day. After reaching sufficient dryness, it is placed in a Guardiola dryer and rotated for 72 hours to complete drying and prevent fermentation. After drying is complete, the pulp and other parts are removed by machine.

Guardiola is Hacienda La Esmeralda's preferred drying method. As long as the coffee batch size allows, it can handle large quantities of coffee. The Guardiola is a horizontally rotating drum that allows warm air to flow around the beans, thereby removing moisture and reducing the risk of mold. After drying, the coffee beans are packed into nylon bags and stored in the warehouse for 30 to 45 days. This step is called "reposo," which helps stabilize the beans and enhance the cup flavor.

Natural green beans are yellowish in color with more silver skin on the surface. Caturra green beans have a curved tail end, round and slender; Catuai beans are flat with a relatively slender tail end. To preserve more red berry notes, Front Street's roaster uses a medium-light roast level to present Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain coffee.

After brewing, Front Street Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain presents citrus, bright acidity, nut, and honey flavors, with a slight fermented note, a smooth mouthfeel, and a cocoa finish. It is suitable for those who seek a balanced cup and do not want it too bitter or too sour.

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