This Coffee Just Set a New World Record, Selling at $10,013 per Kilogram

The Best of Panama 2024 Auction, held on August 7, showcased the top producers and their beans from Panama. The Elida Geisha Natural Torre coffee lot from the Lamastus Family Estate sold for an impressive $10,013 per kilogram, setting a new record. Grand Cru Coffee, OKLAO Specialty Coffee, Brew Boyy Crew, Ruber Roastery, Pebble Coffee for Simple Kaffa, Paradise Coffee Roasters, and Ruliweb also acquired a portion of the lot.

Manual Barsallo, Panamanian coffee expert and head of quality control, processing, and sales for Café Don Benjie, believes this was the most competitive year ever. Panama has always been a player in the global coffee scene but cannot compete with larger national producers. Panama exports around 50,000 60-kilogram sacks each year, while Brazil is expected to produce 59.1 million 60-kilogram bags between 2023 and 2024. Panama is more focused on the quality of the cup, with many producers growing the high-quality Geisha bean, known for its unique and intense floral flavors with notes of lemongrass and stone fruits.

Panama’s tourism board is actively inviting people to taste Panamanian luxury in person by exploring the Chiriquí province, home to three coffee regions where the Geisha coffee is grown. Visitors can stay overnight and enjoy tastings through the official Coffee Circut route, which guides visitors through the coffee farms in Tierras Altas and Boquete.

If you can’t visit Panama right now, there are several places in the U.S. that participate in the annual Best of Panama auction and purchase a few kilograms of the good stuff directly from the farms. Klatch Coffee, which has beans from Hacienda La Esmeralda, and Willoughby’s Coffee and Tea carry Elida Estate beans. Proud Mary has also purchased from the event in the past but is currently sold out of beans on its website.

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