This Panamanian Kotowa Estate specialty coffee bean boasts a rich tropical fruit aroma. In its dry fragrance, it presents delicate pink floral notes and intense fruity aromas, primarily fruits such as cranberry, dried fruit, and grapes. After breaking the crust and skimming off the grounds, the coffee greets the palate with flavors of ripe cherries, prunes, and honey-like [more…]

"Absolutely delicious!" That's how Mr. Tetsu Kasuya introduced the coffee brewed with his improved hybrid brewing method at the beginning of one of his earlier videos. (Call me the screenshot master.) Front Street believes everyone is already familiar with Tetsu Kasuya. He is not only the champion of the 2016 World Brewers Cup, but also [more…]

Panama occupies a key position on the international coffee map thanks to Geisha, and the many estates that nurtured it are equally worth exploring. This article focuses on the Kotowa family—from Joseph McIntyre's purchase of Caroline Farm in Boquete in 1916, to Alexander Duncan McIntyre's move to Panama in 1925, the renaming to Carolina and the building of a processing plant, to the third generation's Ricardo Koyner and his daughter Victoria running it together, a four-generation planting history unfolds. The article also explains in detail the origin of the Duncan estate's name, the layout of its seven farms, the ancient water-powered processing equipment, and the sun-dried Caturra that Front Street Coffee sourced: 1,650–1,750 meters elevation, medium-light roast, with a cup profile showing floral notes, red grape, candied fruit, prune, and brown sugar nuances. [more…]

Without any hints, Front Street Coffee believes that it would be hard for anyone to imagine that this syringe-like tool is actually used to make coffee. That's right, it is the very popular little coffee "toy" in the coffee world—the AeroPress. The reason Front Street Coffee calls it a "toy" is not because it cannot reliably make [more…]

Kotowa Estate is a long-established coffee family in the Boquete region of Panama. Its story began in the late 19th century, when Canadian immigrant Alexander Duncan McIntyre cleared land and planted coffee at the foot of Volcán Barú, and it has now been passed down through four generations. The estate owns several well-known farms, including Duncan, Don K, and Bruja, and has repeatedly achieved excellent results in competitions. This article reviews Kotowa's century-long development, the origin of the estate's name, and the historical equipment of its processing plant, and also presents the cupping flavors and pour-over parameters of the sun-dried Caturra from Duncan Estate purchased by Front Street Coffee, for the reference of coffee enthusiasts. [more…]