$18,000 Per Kilo Generating More Than $3 Million in Sales at the Best of Panama Auction.  Not Gold or Silver.  It is Panamanian Coffee.

Panamanian specialty coffee once again reached extraordinary prices in the market with the international electronic auction that closed on the afternoon of Thursday, September 24, with 24,544 bids and a total value of $3,041,940 in sales, the product of 50 lots of 15 kilograms each.  The coffees that received the highest ratings in The Best of Panama competition participated: 40 lots of Geisha coffee and 10 lots of varietal coffees. The weighted average price ended at $4,055.92 per kilogram, while the maximum price was $18,004 per kilogram, a figure that remained until closing. 

$18,004.

It was the highest price for coffee per kilo.

24,544

Was the total number of offers.

+ $3 Million.

The auction generated sales.

The record was set by the Elida Geisha Torre, a 15-kilogram lot that sold for $270,060. The coffee received 736 bids and was purchased by Grand Cru.  The result means that just 15 kilograms of this coffee reached a value of over a quarter of a million dollars. 

Elida Geisha Tower Cafe. Best of Panama.

The 2026 edition featured buyers from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and America, according to reports from the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama. 

Elida Geisha Torre Holds The Record.

According to Best of Panama reports accessed by this publication, the winning coffee was harvested at a stage of maturity known as “burgundy,” described as very ripe. After harvesting, it was pulped at midday and subjected to a fermentation process at temperatures between 14 and 17 °C.  It was then hand-washed and dried in a cold chamber, maintaining the same temperature range.  The process and the final price make the Elida Geisha Torre the most expensive lot in this edition of the auction, with a price per kilogram equivalent to about 4.4 times the final weighted average.

Café Lérida Waterfall Geisha Natural, second best seller at Best of Panama auction.

Lleida Moves Up To Second Place.

The most important movement during the last hours of the auction occurred with the Lérida Waterfall Geisha Natural, identified as GN-01.  The lot ended up at $13,505 per kilogram, for a total value of $202,575 , after receiving 1,849 bids.  The result represents an increase compared to the $11,893 per kilogram it previously registered and consolidated Finca Lérida coffee as the second highest priced lot in the auction.  The coffee comes from Alto Quiel, in Boquete, at about 2,000 meters above sea level. The best cherries were selected by flotation and subjected to cold fermentation. They were then naturally sun-dried on raised African beds.  The process sought to preserve the characteristic profile of the natural Geisha, with a floral and fruity expression.

Hacienda La Esmeralda Completes the ‘Top 3’.

Third place went to Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Natural, lot GN-02, which ended up at $10,024 per kilogram.  The 15 kilograms were sold for $150,360 after receiving 532 bids. The winner was SAZA COFFEE.  The Tumaco lot is located at approximately 1,750 meters above sea level, in Cañas Verdes, Hacienda La Esmeralda.  After harvesting and selection, the cherries were moved to a climate-controlled drying room, where temperature and humidity were monitored to allow for a gradual and uniform reduction of moisture. The coffee then underwent a resting period under controlled conditions before its final preparation for auction.

Café Elida Geisha Vuelta. Best of Panama.

The First Three, Account For More Than $622,000.

The three highest-priced lots together generated $622,995, equivalent to approximately 20.5% of the total auction value.  The Elida Geisha Torre contributed $270,060; the Lérida Waterfall Geisha Natural, $202,575; and the Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Natural, $150,360.  The competition was also intense in terms of bids. The Lérida Waterfall Geisha Natural (GN-01), which finished second in price, received 1,849 bids, while the Elida Geisha Vuelta, another natural geisha coffee identified as GN-03, accumulated 1,514 and closed at $10,008 per kilogram, with a total value of $150,120.

Café Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Natural ranked as the third best-selling coffee in Best of Panama.