Annual Best of Panama E-auction – 50 Lots of Specialty Coffee – $100 KG
Panama held its annual Best of Panama (BOP) e-auction with 50 lots of specialty coffee starting at a base price per kilogram of $100 for “Geishas” (a variety considered a luxury) and $60 for “varietals” (non-Geisha varieties). As of Tuesday, August 6, there were more than 175 buyers registered to participate in the auction, from Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, France, England, Canada, the United States, Indonesia and Australia, according to Hunter Tedman, president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP).
With a score of over 94 points out of 100, a varietal coffee sample is on track to win that category in the 28th version of the Best of Panama (BOP) cupping, while nine other lots of that finalist bean exceed 90 points. This is reflected in the preliminary results of the Best of Panama in the Varietal category, an evaluation that, according to Will Young, head judge of this International Tasting, is a new historic milestone for Panama. “It is something very special for Panama because we don’t have to do magic only with Geisha coffee but with other varieties,” said Young.
