Panama geisha coffee: best coffee in the world?

There are many coffees that could claim to be the best in the world. Candidates might include the most exotic coffee, most expensive, and best tasting. But what if one coffee combined all of those qualities, surely that would be the best coffee in the world. Panama geisha coffee ticks all the right boxes.

Let’s consider Panama geisha coffee as a potential winner of the accolade of best coffee in the world.

What is Panama Geisha Coffee?

Geisha coffee is a variety of Arabica coffee.

Unlike many coffee producing nations, Panamanian coffee growers tend to farm small estates, each of only a few hectares in size. This small size allows the growers to concentrate their efforts on ensuring they are preparing and tending the plants to produce their optimal crops.

So, for example, the 2021 prize-winning geisha coffee is: Nuguo Fermented, grown on the Finca Nuguo farm. Comprising just five hectares of growing space divided into six zones, all surrounded by forest.

As with all of the best geisha coffee. Finca Nuguo is located within a tropical micro-climate. It grows at a high altitude of between 1700 and 2000 meters above sea level.

Why do some people refer to geisha coffee and others to gesha coffee?

Geisha coffee trees originated in the Gesha district, in the South West of Ethiopia. Originally known as gesha coffee, a 1930’s a plan was developed to send coffee seeds to Tanzania and Costa Rica. However, a mistake report writing down it’s name resulted in geisha coffee emerging.

The coffee growers in Panama keep the name geisha coffee to differentiate it from the coffee grown in Gesha, Ethiopia.

What’s so special about geisha coffee beans?

If you could describe the best growing conditions for getting the very best aroma and flavor from coffee, then you would want to grow the coffee in a mineral rich soil, with a tropical climate, plenty of rainfall, but not too hot – so probably surrounded by shade giving trees.

That perfectly describes the conditions in several regions of Panama, including, Bouquete and Volcan. These regions rise up to 2000 meters above sea level, with mineral-rich soil from nearby dormant volcanoes. The climate benefits from warm winds from the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Caribbean Sea on the other.

These elements combine to produce a coffee that tempts your senses with great aromas and taste. Geisha coffee beans have floral scents of jasmine and bergamot, with a background of fresh fruits including citrus, peach and mango.

Once the beans are ground and brewed, you still get the heady aroma of fresh fruit. Depending on the roast and brew you will experience a smooth, yet complex, flavor which includes notes of mango, peach,  honeysuckle, citrus, and berries.

Isn’t it really expensive?

Yes, Panama geisha coffee prices have been setting records since 2004. The Hacienda La Esmeralda estate won the prestigious Best of Panama prize seven times between 2004 and 2013. After judging ends the winning coffee’s immediately auctioned. Giving way to increasing competition from wealthy coffee lovers drives up prices. This bidding war has resulted in stunning sale prices which grew from $21 per pound in 2004, to $170 a pound in 2010.

This success gave coffees grown in Panama, especially geisha coffee, an increasingly high profile amongst coffee enthusiasts. It also prompted more geisha coffee being grown in Panama, and greater care being taken at every stage of production.

Then, in May 2019 a single pound of geisha coffee beans from the Lamastus Family Estates sold for the mind-bending price of $1,029.

That’s a huge amount of money for a pound of coffee. Reflecting the care and quality control the estate managers and owners put into its production.

We also have to bear in mind that Panama produces a very small amount of very high quality coffee. So demand is going to outstrip supply, pushing prices up.

To give some idea of how small that amount is, in 2020 Panama produced approximately, 6.9 million kilograms of coffee. However that was less than 1% of world production (approximately 1052 billion kilograms) (figures from the International Coffee Organization).

So is it the best coffee in the world?

Arguably, if enough people prepared to pay so much to drink it, then it must be true. But, who says it’s the best in the world?

In 1996, the world commodity price of coffee was very low. But there was already demand around the world for higher quality coffee to satisfy more discerning coffee drinkers. Seven Panama coffee producers from the regions of Volcan and Bouquete formed a group known as the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP).

SCAP organized a competition (Best of Panama) to promote its finest coffees. The winning coffee being auctioned online, with bidders around the world competing to own the top coffee.

The Best of Panama competition proved a big success and runs annually ever since. Currently more than 50 coffee producers enter the competition.

The 2021 winning lot, Nuguo Fermented, grown close to the Costa Rica border sold for another record amount: $2,568 a pound.

It grows in small quantities, tended by highly skilled farmers enjoying perfect growing conditions. There’s little wonder that demand for Panama geisha coffee continues to drive up the gesha coffee price. That Combines with the exceptional blends of aroma and flavor of geisha coffee and there is every reason to call this the best coffee in the world.