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History & Production
When coffee first arrived in Panama it was not known for its cup quality. As the years progressed, Panama has made quite a name for itself, producing some of the most luxurious and most expensive coffee in the world.
Coffees produced in the country are already at a price premium compared to other countries, and there are a couple factors that impact this. One, real estate has high demand due to the cheap land and the country being a stable and beautiful place to live. Two, they have higher wages than most coffee-growing countries because of the high standards for labor laws. Labor is a huge portion of the cost of coffee production and due to the labor laws, this increases the cost of coffee.
The coffee sector in Panama is lush with family estates, ecotourism destinations, and smallholder groups producing primary washed Caturra and Catuai, on par with the rest of Central America in terms of cup quality. This standard is drastically overshadowed by the Gesha competitions which have received an abundant amount of press over the years.
contest, won and broke the record for green coffee auction prices. After this, the famed Gesha name started gaining traction and popularity among producers and consumers alike.
Cultivars & Regions
While coffee grown in Panama includes Typica, Caturra, and Catuai varieties, by far the most sought-after cultivar associated with Panama is Gesha (Geisha).
Gesha made its modern-era debut at Panama’s Best of Panama competition in 2004, winning the top prize as grown by Price Peterson on his farm Hacienda La Esmeralda. The cultivar has dominated the competition ever since. Hacienda las Esmeralda again won the top prize in 2025, setting a record with a final bid of $604,080 for 20kg of coffee (nearly $14,000 per pound).
First selected in western Ethiopia, Gesha traveled through research stations in East Africa and eventually made its way to CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) in nearby Costa Rica in the 1960s, where the registered T.02722 germoplasm is still located for variety reference and verification.
The country is small, so there are only a few distinct regions. Boquete is one of the more well-known regions and has high elevation, many microclimates and cool weather. Volcan Candela borders Costa Rica and produces much of Panama’s food. Coffee lots are often highly traceable down to the co-op or estate.