Coffee -- Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP); Boquete's Geisha Coffee; Coffee Competitions (Cuppings); Coffee Auctions

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Panama Geisha coffee sets new world record at $1,300 a pound

The managers and teams of the Sophia and Guaramo farms watch the bidding in Chiriqui.

Posted 17/09/2020

While the world reels from the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19, pandemic Panama set a new price record for coffee with international buyers bidding $1,300  and 50 cents a pound for. Olympus washed Geisha from the Sophia farm in the Chiriqui highlands. on Wednesday, September 16.

Close behind in the high stakes bidding  $1000 and  50 cents a pound was the natural geisha Jaguar by Tessie and Rattibor Hartmann, a, from the Guarumo Coffee farm, located in Santa Clara de Renacimiento.

“This is is an incentive to continue producing the specialty coffee that puts Panama on the world map of the best coffees, "said Plinio Ruiz, president of the Association of Specialty Coffee Producers

The online auction began,  at 6 pm with  50 lots of coffee offered in the varieties: Natural Geisha, washed Geisha, pacamara, traditional washed and traditional natural, and continued until after 10.30.

The Olympus of Finca Sophia is a grain grown on a farm located in New Switzerland, in the  Highlands t of  Chiriqui  at an altitude of 2,100 meters above sea level. It is owned by  Hellen Russel, Brooke Mc Donnell, Willem Boot, and Catherine Cadloni, and managed by coffee expert Kelly Hartmann.

Harttmann said that that the achievement is a recognition for so much teamwork, from the one who cleans the plots, the one who collects the grain, the one who processes it, and for all those involved in the activity.

Last year, during the virtual auction, the highest price paid for Panama coffee was $1,229 per pound for the Lamastus family's Elida Geisha.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/world/panama-geisha-coffee-sets-new-world-record-at-1300-a-pound-1

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Panama coffee  and salsa elevate the soul

Posted 09/03/2021

By Margot Thomas

Panamanian coffee has become a measuring stick for coffee growers around the world with the quality of the fine and aromatic beans from the highlands of Chiriqui while multi grammy awards winner Ruben Blades has set the height of the bar for salsa singers. 

Now after several years of‘ marinating’, Blades has combined with   Benito Bermúdez, founder, barista, and roaster of Café Unido to market  Café Siembra, which will serve as an exponent of the local aroma and flavor in local markets and internationally.

The project combines two great exponents of Panama, coffee, and the musical legacy of the artist and composer Rubén Blades, who puts his signature on the packaging as a seal of quality and support for the pn national, product highlights Benito.

“Café Siembra is a mixture of two types of coffee, a very fruity natural one, with a native flavor and a washed coffee that allows a balance. It is a composition of 75% natural caturra coffee and 25% washed catuai, toasted omni roast type, with a profile that represents all Panamanians.

"We wanted to create a well-balanced coffee that everyone would like, which will represent Panama and a coffee to drink every day."

Benito Bermúdez details that the coffee is available in all Café Unido stores in the country and also through the store's online commerce and in Washington DC. "We are sending green coffee from Panama to the United States to our store in Washington DC, where we have also just set up our roasting center to have fresh coffee for the entire market," Bermúdez details.

Like the entire restaurant sector, the coffee shop business was also affected by the stoppage of activities imposed by the authorities as a result of the pandemic.

However, Bermúdez says that in the midst of confinement they took advantage of electronic commerce and delivery to remain active with the sale of a wide variety of specialty coffees, food and implements to learn how to make at home. a high quality coffee.

He maintains that the pandemic has also been the opportunity for many of the fans and lovers of good coffee to learn how to prepare it correctly. "It has been quite successful with the sale of equipment to make filtered coffee at home and even more professionally."

Making coffee is a science that honors the hard work of Panamanian coffee growers. A roasted or ground grain that with its aroma elevates the soul.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-coffee-and-salsa-elevate-the-soul

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“Best of Panama” coffee competition goes virtual

Posted 17/06/2021

BOQUETE, Chiriquí.  51  Panama coffee producers are participating in the  'The Best of Panama 2021' competition using 14,550 pounds of geisha coffee and 11,550 pounds of coffees of traditional varieties. 

The competition is being held virtually due to the pandemic.

Daniel Peterson, president of the Panama Association of Specialty Coffee, said that there are 174 lots of coffees registered in the competition that attracts world buyers of the bean.

There are 97 lots of geisha coffee, of which 45 are washed and another 52 were processed naturally; meanwhile, there are 77 lots of coffees in the varietal category, which includes all traditional variety coffees.

After the delivery of the samples, the tasting will be held with national judges from July 5 to 9, while the tasting with international judges will be from August 2 to 7.

The coffee samples with the highest scores will in turn enter the worldwide electronic auction planned for September 22.

“This is the central event to promote Panamanian coffee growing and it is not an option to suspend it, it will be virtual, the national tasting will be by national judges in their respective laboratories. We have complex but functional logistics, the correct water with the same amount of minerals will be used the same as last year, and in the case of the International tasting the samples will be sent to the judges in each of their countries ”, said Peterson.

There is a high expectation for the innovations that this year Panamanian coffee growers bring in traditional and anaerobic processes, seeking to satisfy the palate of demanding international buyers.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/best-of-panama-coffee-competition-goes-virtual

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40 samples of Panama’s best coffee head to world judges

Posted 13/07/2021

After a week of tasting by 17 Panamanian judges 40 samples of the best coffee in Panama, will be sent to international judges for evaluation in the next round of “The Best of Panama”, which will be held in August.

The Panamanian grain will be judged by a panel of 19 international judges, who will be in South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, United States States, Bulgaria and Australia.

Among those classified, there are 10 batches of washed geisha coffee, 10 batches of natural and processed geisha, 10 batches of washed varietal coffee and 10 batches of natural and processed varietals, which will be subjected to the strictest evaluation.

"In this classification, the Panamanian judges found very interesting combinations of flavors and fragrances, they discovered a classic geisha coffee with jasmine and floral scent, with a lemongrass flavor and others with very interesting processes in the case of natural geisha flavors. In others, there was a mixture of cinnamon, a touch of lemon and cloves, but in a very pleasant way” said a Best of Panama spokesman.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/40-samples-of-panamas-best-coffee-head-to-world-judges

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Panama Geisha coffees score near perfect with international judges

Posted 08/08/2021

Geisha coffees grown in Panama scored almost perfect ratings by international juries, with up to 98 points, in the XXV International Best of Panama (BOP) Tasting, which ended on August 7 

Nineteen international judges, from Bulgaria, China, Costa Rica, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, while there was mirror cupping by a group of national judges.

The note includes the impressions of the judges, who expressed their joy at finding the typical Geisha from Panama, with its unique flavor of blackberries, tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, papaya, and above all very citrus, which shows the dedication of each coffee grower.

“It is clear that more producers are using the most advanced processing techniques to increase the intensity of what can be tasted in the cup. There are also more varieties entering the competition and getting very high scores from the judges. This is very exciting for the industry! Panama is once again breaking new ground in the ultra-premium sector of the specialty coffee industry, ”said Will Young, the Australian chief judge of the XXV International Tasting of the BOP.

International judges rated Panama specialty coffees with much higher scores than last year, above 94 and 95, an indication of the quality of Panama coffee, added Daniel Peterson, president of the Association of Specialty Coffee of Panama (SCAP).

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-geisha-coffees-score-near-perfect-with-international-judges

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"Surreal” Panama Geisha coffee tops $2,500 a pound

Posted 22/09/2021

BOQUETE, Chiriquí -  Geisha coffee from the heart of the Amistad International Park sold for $2,568 a pound in the international auction of the “Best of Panama”, almost doubling the previous record of $1,300  set last year.

The new  record holder is Nuguo Geisha Fermented coffee , from the Nuguo farm, owned by José Gallardo and located in Jurutungo, Renacimiento district,

Last year at the auction, the highest price paid was $1,300 for a Geisha coffee from Sophia Farm in the Highlands.

Gallardo, called the price"surreal".

In the recent tasting international judges, Nuguo Fermented coffee reached a score of 94.75 on a base of 100 points and they described it as a “coffee with fun flavors, where the sweetness of the cherry is mixed with the acidity of tropical fruits.

The Avalanche of Flavors exhibition by the Sittón family, in the washed geisha category, reached a price of $1,502 a pound.

 

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/surreal-panama-geisha-coffee-tops-2500-a-pound

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Panama  coffee earns best in world score from international judges

Ratibor and Tessie Hartmann were crowned champions in two of three categories

Posted 08/08/2022

After a two-year hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the highlands of  Chiriquí played host to international producers, baristas, and judges in search of exquisite coffees at the Best of Panama tastings.

The six-day competition of specialty coffees sets the standard in terms of the quality of the Geisha that is marketed worldwide was powerful. Nearly 15 judges from South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, and the United States participated in the tasting

The records set on the night of Saturday, August 6,  have given a boost to families that in some cases have dedicated more than 100 years to coffee growing.

In the XXVI edition of the Best of Panama, the Guarumo Coffee Farm Black Jaguar lot, from producers Tessie and Ratibor Hartmann, obtained the highest score, obtaining 96.50 in the Natural Geisha category.

It is the highest score in all Geisha coffee competitions in the world and, Auromar's Firestone lot obtained a rating of 96.15, resulting in winning the Geisha Lavado variety.

It is also the highest score that has been achieved in the category, which overjoyed Roberto Brenes in charge of Auromar SA, a company dedicated to the production of Geisha coffee in the area of Piedra Candela, Volcán.

“The greatest encouragement is the level of competence, dedication, and passion of my colleagues. We have built the region with the best coffee in the world,” Brenes told La Prensa.

In the Varietal category, the winner was Chicho Gallo, by Ratibor Hartmann, with 94 points.

The producer of the year award was given to Lamastus Family Estates based on the accumulated score, being among the three best coffees in the different categories.

Wilford Lamastus Jr.  said: “There was the concern of losing some sales, but luckily this did not happen.”

October auction
The Panamanian Association of Specialty Coffees is now starting another process; that of preparing samples of the best lots of coffee from the Best of Panama to send them to the buyers registered in the global electronic auction planned for the beginning of October. Last year a one-pound bag set a world record price at $1,029.

There will be 50 batches divided into the best 18 Natural Geisha batches, another 18 Washed Geisha batches and 14 Varietal batches.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-coffee-earns-best-in-world-score-from-international-judges

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A pound of Panama geisha coffee sells for $6,000 in private auction

Posted 07/09/2022

In a private auction, in the early hours of Wednesday, September 7, the Lamastus family sold a pound of geisha coffee for $6,034 to the Black Gold Coffee company in Taiwan.

The Elida Geisha Aguacatillo Honey lot was consolidated as the star of the event, becoming the highest paid seven pounds of the auction, in a bid and rebate of a total of 25 lots made up of 1,762 pounds, with an average price of $341.24 per pound.

"It is a great pride for the Lamastus family, to see how a Panamanian product reaches such high levels, in such demanding markets," said Wilford Lamastus Jr., who is part of the family clan that has been producing coffee in Chiriqui for over 100 years. 

Companies from China, Japan, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and the United States competed to take the select grains presented in boxes specially designed in Panama, to display the high-end product.

Aguacatillo Honey is a Finca Elida lot from which only seven pounds were produced in 2022. The plantation is deep in a forest park, partially covered by a mountain above 2,000 meters above sea level.

The lot was harvested late, due to the elevation where it is produced. It was meticulously processed and the drying phase was done slowly, in the so-called African beds, for 20 days. It is a structure that keeps the cherries off the ground and allows air to circulate more easily for uniform drying.

Lamastus Jr. said what happened at the auction shows that "Panama's geisha coffee continues to outperform itself."

Along with dozens of producers from Chiriquí, he is looking forward to the auction of the Association of Specialty Coffees, which will take place on October 6, in which 46 batches of producers in the region will participate.

https://chiriqui.life/topic/9512-coffee-specialty-coffee-association-of-panama-scap-boquetes-geisha-coffee-coffee-competitions-cuppings-coffee-auctions/#replyForm

 

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Panama’s Geisha coffee sets new quality record

Panama’s Geisha coffee sets new quality record Five of the 18 international judges from Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Bulgaria, and the United States gave their Geisha cups 100 points,

Posted 04/06/2023

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.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panamas-geisha-coffee-sets-new-quality-record

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Panama sets world record $10,005 a kilo for coffee

 Posted 30/08/2023

 Panama set a new price record for a kilo of coffee at the specialty coffee auctions when the Carmen Estate lot in Paso Ancho, district of Tierras Altas (Chiriquí), managed to sell a kilo for of $10,005.

This has caused astonishment among connoisseurs, it is a grain of the geisha variety in the washing process. The lot in question was acquired by the company Coffee Techo Ltd of New Zealand.

The coffee, which has caused a sensation in the demanding specialty market, is grown on the Carmen Estate at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level. A production that began in 1960 and which belonged to the Franceschi family, is now owned by the Chinese company Dashang Group.

Jean-Paul Langenstein, manager and representative of the company, said he was very impressed and happy because Panamanian coffee is in great demand worldwide.

Hunter Tedman, president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP), considered that the auction had an excellent response from global buyers.

“Expectations have been exceeded and we find ourselves with a new world record in coffee prices. It demonstrates once again the great confidence that buyers have in our producers," said Tedman.

The lot of Carmen Estate, it is a geisha variety with a washed process, which expresses the pure form of the "terroir" of the grain, which translates into the intrinsic flavor and aroma of the geisha variety; and that, together with the soil and climate conditions, make Panama produce the best coffees in the world, explained Tedman.

The auction began at 6:30 pm Tuesday on the website https://auction.bestofpanama.org/en/lots/auction/best-of-panama-2023, where 50 lots of the best coffee produced in our country.

Of those 50 lots of coffee, 18 correspond to natural geisha, 18 lots of geisha coffee in the washed process and 14 lots correspond to varietals.

OTHER VARIETIES
In the natural process of geisha coffee batches, the batch from De la Rosa Mount Totumas, located in the district of Tierras Altas, reached a price of $2,504.00 a kilo. While in the varietals, the Chicho Gallo variety coffee from Guarumo Coffee Farm, from the Renacimiento district, reached a price of $412 per kilo.

The auction took more than 15 hours.

https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama-sets-world-record-10005-a-kilo-for-coffee