Hello Judges #003: Santa Elena Catuai Nectar

The Catuai variant is one of the many Arabica coffees. It was created in the 1940s as a hybrid of the Caturra and Mundo Novo variants, the goal was to create a smaller-sized but equally good-yielding shrub (thus achieving a higher yield in the same area). It started to spread in the 1970s, and it is one of the basic variants in Guatemala. It came to Panama relatively late, but, like the geisha variant, it also showed special characteristics here. The taste of the yellow variant differs less from the original red (although, as is always the case with coffee, there can be huge differences between the area, weather, vintage), the yellow variant usually has a softer taste. Unfortunately, Catuai is very sensitive to coffee's nemesis, the attack of a fungus called leaf rust, so the future of the variety is in serious danger everywhere in the world.

We met Roberto from the Santa Elena estate in Panama (the son of one of the current owners, the grandson of one of the founding great-grandfathers) at the World of Coffee exhibition in Athens. We tasted two of their coffees, both of which impressed us immediately, so there was no question about the first two members of the Hello Judges series. We corresponded a lot with them, over time we developed a very good relationship. All of their coffees are special, so it is almost certain that we will work with them again!

The Santa Elena Estate is located on the emblematic slopes of the Piedra de Lino Mountains, in the Boquete Valley in the Chiriqui Province of Panama. This region is world famous for the coffees grown here, and especially for the geisha variety grown here. 20% of the region at an altitude of 1,200-1,550 meters above sea level is rainforest. The climate is characterized by a year-round temperature of 17-24ºC, which is perfect for Arabica coffee varieties.

The estate was founded more than 100 years ago by the ancestors of the current owners. From the very beginning, sustainability and maintaining a livable environment, dense vegetation and the biodiversity of wild animals have been a priority. Add to that the volcanic, mineral-rich soil, the wind blowing alternately from the two oceans, and the abundant rainfall, so you can really say that everything came together to grow the perfect coffee plant! In addition to coffee, other plants and vegetables are also grown on the farm, which, in addition to increasing biodiversity, also stabilizes incomes, i.e. there is no compulsion in the direction of "even more coffee", which would be at the expense of quality.