Catuai
Natural
Elida Estate

Tastes Like: Apricot, Dried Orange, Fruit Leather

Origin: Elida Estate, Boquete, Chiriqui, Panama

Variety: Catuai

Producer: Wilford Lamastus

Elevation: 1,670 - 2,100 masl

Process:  Natural

Elida Estate

Elida Estate is part of Lamastus Family Estates in Alto Quiel, Boquete, in Panama’s Chiriquí highlands. The Lamastus family has grown coffee here since 1918. The estate lies partly within Volcán Barú National Park, with coffee growing among volcanic soils and surrounding native cloud forest.

Mist can persist into Elida’s dry season, while low night temperatures extend cherry maturation. This Catuai selection is grown within the estate’s 1,670–2,100 masl coffee-producing elevation range.

Variety

Catuai is a compact Arabica variety developed in Brazil from a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. Its smaller stature supports closer planting and practical harvesting. Here it is grown in Elida’s high-elevation conditions and processed as a natural; the apricot, dried-orange, and fruit-leather notes describe this coffee rather than a guaranteed profile of the variety.

Processing

In natural processing, the coffee dries inside the whole cherry before the dried fruit is removed. The Lamastus family’s classic natural method moves harvested cherries directly to drying, without a separate tank-fermentation stage. Drying the fruit around the seed can contribute a fuller texture and concentrated fruit expression.