Panama’s Geisha coffee sets new quality record

The Geisha, luxury coffee set a new quality record among specialty coffees, with 96.50 points, in the XXVII International Tasting of the Best of Panama (BOP). attended by 18 judges from seven countries.

The lot awarded with a score of 96.50 out of 100 among the Washed Geisha coffees was that of Carmen Estate Coffee, from the farm of the same name, followed with the best score, but in the Geisha Natural category, the De la Rosa lot from the Mount farm. Totumas Coffee was crowned with 96.25 points.

The Varietal coffees were hand in hand with the Geishas in the score, reaching 92.38 points with the Chicho Gallo Natural Gold Selection lot from the Guarumo Coffee farm.

In the event, organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP), 186 lots of coffee with 42 kilograms each competed, to finally offer on August 2 at the electronic auction of the BOP, 25 kilograms of the lots that have obtained the highest scores in the competition.

Five of the 18 international judges from Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Bulgaria, and the United States gave their Geisha cups 100 points, a historic value, confirmed Australian Will Young, the main judge who led the competition.

“I am very satisfied especially with the last two tables because I tasted the best coffee of my entire life. The best attributes were the ‘terroir’ and the attributes of the traditional Panama Geishas that shone in each cup,” he said.

The French term ‘terroir’, or terroir in Spanish, refers to the combination of characteristics that affect the quality of the crop, in this case, coffee, such as soil, biodiversity, climate, and topography.

Hunter Tedman, SCAP President, said Panama specialty coffee receives the highest scores and prices in the specialty coffee industry in the world, and those that ranked highest are truly exotic cups.

Record prices
Panama’s coffee industry is marginal, but the country has specialized in producing specialty coffees such as geisha, which is marketed at record prices, especially in Asia and Europe.

For the Geisha of Panama, the highest price per pound ($2,568) has been paid in 2021, acquired by a Japanese buyer.