Panama Natural Catuai Coffee

A natural-process Catuaí from Volcán, in western Panama. The coffee dries inside its fruit, which gives a soft, sweet cup of red cherry, dark chocolate and vanilla. Brewed in a Chemex at 92°C.

Origin & Story

A natural coffee is dried inside its fruit. Instead of pulping the cherries, the farmer spreads them whole in the sun or on raised beds and turns them for weeks, until the fruit has shrunk to something like a raisin. The sugars in that fruit work their way into the bean. It is the oldest way of processing coffee, and it is where this cup gets its red cherry sweetness.

The variety is Catuaí, bred in Brazil by the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas, which crossed Yellow Caturra with Mundo Novo in 1949 and released the result in 1972 after more than twenty years of selection. The name comes from the Tupi-Guarani language and means very good. The trees are compact and productive, and Catuaí is grown across Central America.

This one comes from near the town of Volcán, at about 1,400 meters in the western highlands of Panama, close to the Costa Rican border. The area sits on an old lava flow from Volcán Barú, and its farms grow coffee alongside vegetables, flowers and cattle pasture.

Natural processing shows in the cup as red cherry, with dark chocolate and vanilla, and a plush, rounded body. The fruit is sweet rather than sharp, so this is a good pick if you like a soft, dessert-like coffee more than a bright, tart one.

Brew it in a Chemex with water at 92°C, a little cooler than usual to protect the sweetness, and a medium grind. Use 18 g of coffee to 300 g of water.

Reading the Flavor Profile

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