Best of Panama Coffee: What It Is and How to Try Award-Winning Coffee at Home
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Best of Panama Coffee: What It Is and How to Try Award-Winning Coffee at Home
Every year, a small group of coffee farms in Panama submit their finest lots to a single competition. International judges fly in from the US, Asia, Europe, and Australia. They cup the coffees blind. They score them. And then the top-scoring lots go to auction — where buyers from around the world compete to own a piece of the best coffee on the planet.
It's called the Best of Panama — and it is, without exaggeration, the most important specialty coffee competition and auction in the world.
In 2025, a single lot of Washed Geisha from Hacienda La Esmeralda scored 98 out of 100 points — the highest score in the competition's 29-year history — and sold at auction for $30,204 per kilogram. The total value of the 2025 auction exceeded $2.8 million. Five international judges gave that lot a perfect 100-point score — a first in BOP history.
But here's what most people don't know: you don't need to bid at auction to drink Best of Panama-caliber coffee. Many of the estates that compete — and win — also produce retail coffee that's available to buy online. I carry several of them at Boquete Coffee Traders, shipped fresh from Panama to your door.
Let me walk you through what the Best of Panama is, how it works, who won in 2025, and how you can taste award-winning Panama coffee at home.
What Is the Best of Panama?
The Best of Panama (BOP) is an annual coffee competition and auction organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP). It was founded in 1996, during a time when global coffee prices had crashed and Panama's coffee industry was struggling to survive.
The idea was simple: create a competition that would showcase the quality of Panamanian coffee to the world. Producers would submit their best lots, international judges would evaluate them through blind cupping, and the winning coffees would be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
It worked beyond anyone's expectations. The Best of Panama didn't just save Panama's coffee industry — it transformed it into the most prestigious origin in the specialty coffee world.
The competition's breakthrough moment came in 2004, when a Geisha variety coffee from Hacienda La Esmeralda stunned the judging panel. The coffee was so unusual — intensely floral, tea-like, unlike anything from Latin America — that some judges thought they had been accidentally given an Ethiopian sample. That lot sold for $21 per pound, a record at the time. It was the beginning of the Geisha phenomenon and the beginning of Panama's rise to the top of the coffee world.
How the Best of Panama Competition Works
The BOP follows a rigorous, transparent process:
Submission: SCAP member farms submit their best coffee lots for evaluation. In 2025, 180 lots were submitted from 73 SCAP member farms — a record number.
Categories: Coffees are divided into three main categories: Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietals (non-Geisha varieties including Catuai, Caturra, Pacamara, Typica, Laurina, and others, both washed and natural).
Preliminary judging: At least seven experienced Panamanian cuppers evaluate all submissions in blind tastings to narrow the field.
International judging: The top-scoring lots are then cupped by a panel of international specialty coffee buyers and experts — in 2025, 22 judges from around the world participated. Coffees are scored on aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, sweetness, and overall impression using the SCA cupping protocol.
Auction: The highest-scoring coffees in each category are entered into an electronic auction, where specialty roasters, cafés, and collectors from around the globe bid for the winning lots. The 2025 auction was hosted by luxury coffee auction house M-Cultivo.
Best of Panama 2025 Results: A Historic Year
The 2025 Best of Panama was a record-breaking edition. Hacienda La Esmeralda achieved something that had never been done before — first place in all three major categories, earning the Panama Cup for Best Overall Producer.
Geisha Washed:
- 1st Place: Hacienda La Esmeralda — 98.00 points (highest score in BOP history)
- 2nd Place: Finca Sophia — 96.25 points
- 3rd Place: Nuguo Café (Gallardo Family) — 95.27 points
Geisha Natural:
- 1st Place: Hacienda La Esmeralda — 97.00 points
- 2nd Place: Finca Los Cenisos — 96.25 points
- 3rd Place: Finca Sophia — 96.25 points
Varietals:
- 1st Place: Hacienda La Esmeralda (Laurina, El Velo) — 92.88 points
- 2nd Place: Black Moon Farm (Hunter Tedman) — 92.63 points
- 3rd Place: Cantera Farm (Garrido Family) — 92.25 points
At auction, the winning Geisha Washed lot sold for $30,204 per kilogram to Julith Coffee from Dubai — after 549 bids. The Geisha Natural sold for $23,608/kg to JD.com, and the Laurina varietal sold for $8,040/kg to Beijing Specialty Drink Co. The total auction value exceeded $2.8 million, with a weighted average of $2,861 per kilogram across all lots.
A Brief History of Best of Panama Records
The price trajectory of BOP auction coffees tells the story of Panama's rise:
- 2004: Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha debuts — sold for $21/lb
- 2007: Hacienda La Esmeralda sets a new record at $130/lb
- 2017: Finca Lérida wins 1st Place Traditional Washed (Moi Honey, 89.735 points) and 2nd Place (El Príncipe del Café, 89.559 points)
- 2019: Elida Estates Geisha Natural sells for $1,029/lb — first to break $1,000
- 2020: Garrido Specialty Coffee wins 1st Place Traditional (Mama Cata Mokkita, 91 points)
- 2021: Garrido Specialty Coffee wins 1st Place Traditional again (Mama Cata Mokkita, 92 points)
- 2023: Carmen Estate Geisha Washed sells for $10,005/kg
- 2024: Elida Estates Geisha Honey sells for $13,518/kg
- 2025: Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Washed sells for $30,204/kg — current world record
The Farms Behind the Wins: Panama's Coffee Royalty
The Best of Panama has produced a roster of legendary estates. While Hacienda La Esmeralda dominates the headlines, many other farms have built extraordinary reputations through consistent BOP performance. Several of them are available to buy online through our store:
Finca Lérida
One of Panama's oldest coffee estates, founded in 1924 by a Norwegian Panama Canal engineer. Finca Lérida has been a consistent top-10 BOP finisher for over 15 years. They won 1st Place at BOP in 2001, were named the #1 coffee in the world at the 2003 SCAA competition in Boston (out of 118 entries), and took 1st and 2nd place in the 2017 BOP Traditional Washed category. The estate spans five farms between 1,500 and 2,000 masl and grows Geisha, Catuai, Pacamara, and Typica.
We carry several Finca Lérida coffees:
- Finca Lérida Geisha (250g) — Floral, complex, and grown at the highest elevations on the estate.
- Finca Lérida Catuai Washed (500g) — Chocolate, nuts, cherries, passion fruit. An outstanding espresso coffee.
- Finca Lérida Catuai Honey (250g) — Caramel, stone fruit, brown sugar. The honey process adds a luscious sweetness.
Kotowa
A family-owned estate run by the Koyner family — Ricardo Koyner is the current President of SCAP. Kotowa has won multiple BOP awards and was recognized by Panama's National Environmental Agency as the winner of the Year's Environmentally Cleanest Industry award. Known for sustainable practices and exceptional Geisha and Typica coffees.
Lamastus Family Estates (Elida)
The Lamastus family has been growing coffee in Panama for four generations. Their Elida Estate, at extreme altitude in Boquete, produces some of the most celebrated Geisha lots in BOP history — including the $1,029/lb record-setter in 2019 and the $13,518/kg lot in 2024.
Shop Lamastus Family Estates →
Garrido Specialty Coffee
The Garrido family operates the Mama Cata and Cantera farms in the Boquete highlands. Their track record at BOP is remarkable: 1st Place Traditional in 2020 (Mama Cata Mokkita, 91 points), 1st Place Traditional in 2021 (Mama Cata Mokkita, 92 points), and 3rd Place Varietals in 2025 (Cantera Farm, 92.25 points). Their Geisha is grown at the Mama Cata estate and delivers refined florals, bright acidity, and a clean, sweet finish.
Shop Garrido Specialty Coffee →
Gran Del Val
A family farm in Alto Quiel, Boquete — one of the most prized sub-regions for high-altitude coffee. Gran Del Val has been producing specialty coffee since 1914 and is known for exceptional micro-lot Geisha and Catuai.
Gran Del Val Geisha Honey (250g) — Jasmine, citrus, caramel, and stone fruit. Grown at 1,600 masl.
Janson Coffee
The Janson family, descendants of Swedish immigrant Carl Axel Janson who arrived in Panama in 1941, run one of the most sustainably operated coffee farms in the country. Their Los Alpes farm in Volcán is powered by 400 solar panels, and they use mountain spring water for processing.
How to Try Best of Panama-Level Coffee at Home
The auction lots that make headlines are micro-lots of 20–25 kilograms, purchased by specialty roasters who sell the resulting cups for $50–$100 each. For most people, that's out of reach.
But here's the thing: the same estates that win Best of Panama also produce retail coffee from the same farms, the same terroir, and the same varietals. You're not getting the exact competition lot — but you're getting coffee grown by the same families, at the same altitudes, using the same expertise. The quality is exceptional.
For brewing, pour-over (V60, Chemex, Kalita Wave) is the best way to experience the nuance and clarity that makes these coffees special. Use water at 200°F (93°C), a medium-fine grind, and drink it black. If you don't have a grinder, the JavaPresse Manual Coffee Grinder is an affordable option that handles pour-over grind sizes well.
For everyday Panamanian coffees like Café Palo Alto, any brewing method works — drip, French press, espresso, cold brew. It's a smooth, balanced 100% Arabica from the Tedman Family Farm (est. 1912) that shows off Boquete's terroir beautifully at a very accessible price.
What's Next: World of Coffee Panama 2026
Panama's dominance in specialty coffee will be on full display in October 2026, when the country hosts the World of Coffee — the first time the event has ever been held in Latin America or in a coffee-producing country. The World Barista Championship will take place alongside it at the Panama Convention Center in Panama City, October 23–25, 2026.
It's a landmark moment for Panama and a recognition of how much this small country has shaped the global specialty coffee industry. From the founding of the Best of Panama in 1996 to the discovery of Geisha in 2004 to the $30,000/kg auction records of today — Panama has rewritten the rules of what coffee can be.
Buy Best of Panama Award-Winning Coffee Online
At Boquete Coffee Traders, we carry coffee from multiple Best of Panama winning estates — including Finca Lérida, Kotowa, Lamastus Family Estates, Garrido Specialty Coffee, Gran Del Val, and Janson Coffee. Every order ships directly from Panama via FedEx or DHL and arrives in 5 business days or less. Free shipping on orders over $70.
I'm Juan Carlos Sosa, the founder of this store and a lifelong Panamanian. If you want to taste what the Best of Panama is all about — without the auction prices — this is where to start.