Two weeks ago Black Road Coffee of Seoul, South Korea paid a record price of $13,518 a kilogram of Panamanian Geisha coffee in a private e-auction. That comes down to about 175 USD per cup (medium brew, 6 Oz).
Grown at 2,060 meters above sea level, the lot of Elida Geisha Honey Avocado came from Lamastus Family Estate in Boquete, Chiriqui. The coffee boasts exceptional quality, offering a delicate cup with abundant sweetness, well-balanced acidity, and a strong floral aroma, embodying the true characteristics of Panama’s authentic Geisha variety, according to owner Wilford Lamastus
The e-auction, which lasted 7 hours and 10 minutes, offered 25 batches of Geisha coffee that entered the auction in a kaleidoscope of flavors in the primary, abstract and symmetrical categories.
Buyers from China, the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Taiwan participated in the bidding.
What is Geisha?
Geisha is a coffee that is grown in the Chiriquí Highlands ⛰️, west of Panama City, at 1800-2000 meters above sea level. Geisha is characterized by its flowery and fruit-like flavours with hints of rose, jasmin and bergamot.
Geisha is so expensive because of a variety of reasons. There are few plantations where it is grown and it is in high demand by the best roasters in the world. Furthermore, the cultivation is difficult, the plant has a low-yield and the harvest is labour intensive (geisha berries are hand-picked). 💡The coffee is a luxury product that represents 0.4% of Panama’s GDP and is sold especially to the Asian market (China & Japan).