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Is Panama Coffee Expensive? 【The World's Most Expensive Coffee】Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista communication, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style) The Specialty Coffee Association of Panama held the Best of Panama eAuction this July, where a coffee bean was successfully auctioned at a record-breaking price of $601 per pound. In no time, this coffee named Panama Geisha has become the Panamanian...

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In July 2017, the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama held the "Best of Panama eAuction," where a coffee bean was successfully auctioned at a record-breaking price of $601 USD per pound. Soon after, this Panama Geisha coffee bean became available in limited supply in Hong Kong!

This coffee bean, known as Panama Geisha, is said to challenge the king and queen status of Blue Mountain coffee and Hawaiian Kona coffee, and is about to arrive in Hong Kong. Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda sold it for US$601 per pound (100 pounds totaling US$60,100), hailed as unprecedented and the most expensive in history. This coffee bean has won numerous awards and achieved a rating of 94.1 points.

Originating from Rudolph A. Peterson, a banker from California, USA, he purchased Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama in 1964. The estate is located in the Palmira region and covers a hundred acres. His family later discovered the famous Geisha coffee trees nearby—a revolutionary variety in the coffee world—which has enabled Hacienda La Esmeralda to achieve outstanding results in the "Best of Panama" auction since 2006, making the Petersons family renowned in coffee auction history.

2018 Geisha Auction Results and Information

2018 Emerald Geisha Auction Results

This year's Geisha auction categories:

Yeast Process (ES-Y): A total of four lots, nine boxes of beans

Natural Process (ES-N): A total of nine natural process lots, thirty-five boxes of beans

Washed Process (ES-W): A total of two traditional washed process lots, six boxes of beans

The champion bid price was $340 USD per pound, belonging to the yeast category Lot ES-Y-1

Natural category highest: $109 USD per pound, ES-N-9-1

Washed category highest: $105 USD per pound, ES-W-1-5

This year, the 2018 Panama Coffee Competition champion was also a Geisha produced by Hacienda La Esmeralda, with a bid price of $340 USD per pound, won by HARU International Corp.

Lot ES-Y-1

Harvest Date: January 31, 2018

Processing Method: Fermented with yeast for 48 hours, then washed, followed by 4 days of drying on raised beds

Altitude: 1600 meters

Region: Cañas Verdes, Palmira

Estate: Cañas Verdes

Variety: Green Tip Geisha

Geisha varieties include the Green Tip Geisha and Bronze Tip Geisha. Green Tip Geisha is characterized by floral aromatics, strong acidity, and sweetness. In contrast, Bronze Tip Geisha emphasizes body and sweetness, with less prominent acidity.

The family's Hacienda La Esmeralda [World Famous Coffee Estates Tour | Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda] operates coffee farms in a corporate manner, acquiring nearby coffee farms with different altitudes, terrains, and soil types (volcanic terrain). Using the most advanced and meticulous production and cultivation techniques with strict management, they produce extremely high-quality Geisha coffee under their affiliated coffee farms. Additionally, Geisha variety coffee beans are very well-suited to Panama's natural conditions, so the Geisha produced by Hacienda La Esmeralda is auctioned globally as a single estate, thus attracting international coffee buyers, roasters, and enthusiasts to compete for fresh purchases.

Panama Geisha Coffee Brand Recommendations

Geisha 2018—Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label Natural | Blue Label Washed | Green Label Natural

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Panama Red Label Geisha coffee offers full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, it offers exceptional value—for 100 grams per package at only 350 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of coffee beans per cup, one package can make 6 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 60 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling at over 100 yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

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