An insider looking out @ the record setting Best of Panama

It’s been a little over a week since some of the biggest news in the coffee world came to life, with Hacienda La Esmeralda breaking records - and then breaking again, with a sweep of all three categories. Get the broom stick folks, it’s a sweep.

The Best of Panama is the premiere coffee quality championship in the World. On an annual basis, coffee producers in Panama work to craft a Geisha Washed, a Geisha Natural and a Varietal to submit into the competition. Each needs to fit certain criteria and of course follow the rules of the competition. This year was the 29th year of the Best of Panama and the first time that anyone has ever won all three categories, a clean sweep.

As I live here in Boquete, Panama operating Forward Coffee, I’m quite close to the action, especially with the honour of participating this year as one of twenty-two select International Judges.

My role for the week was to show up on time, evaluate a maximum of three tables of eight coffees per table, blind, and with no conversation to others. I would put on music by Gypsy Kings or Buena Vista Social Club or Willie Colon and I would just groove to the table and enjoy the coffees - truly exceptional across the board.

After the hour or so that it would take to evaluate, we’d go into a deliberation room and discuss the scores and see how the coffee ranked out for the jury, with a microphone that went around and the opportunity to share experience and flavour calls with each coffee. With loads of energy in the room and commentary that sounds similar to, “I’ll buy this coffee in the auction, who’s with me?!”. People in the room are cheering as high scores hit the board - clapping, yelling, wooohooo - as a higher average overtakes the previous that we could see. The energy around the event just continues to build deliberation after deliberation, table after table as a new Champion emerges and is announced at the Awards Gala, the evening of the final Geisha Washed and Geisha Natural table - both of which set records.

When I was evaluating these coffees, and we were onto the Geisha Washed table, it became quite clear to me that my two favourite coffees in each of these categories held the same flavour structure and therefore I thought they must come from the same terroir, or geographic location, which in this case turned out to be NIDO. The overwhelming majority of the judges had both these coffees as their top scores, with a discernible margin of victory in each category, in terms of points. Many described these Geisha as the best coffee they’ve ever had.

The energy at BOP is hard to put into words - it’s a true celebration of coffee, craft, and community here in Panama.

The Results - A Clean Sweep for Hacienda La Esmeralda:
🏆 Geisha Washed | 98 pts (Cañas Verdes NIDO) - BOP record as of June 7
🏆 Geisha Natural | 97 pts (Cañas Verdes NIDO) - BOP record as of June 7
🏆 Varietal | 92.88 pts (El Velo Laurina Natural)

This has never happened before in BOP’s 29-year history - one producer winning first in all three categories. It’s an incredible achievement, and feels somewhat like a Cinderella story with the OG Geisha farm coming back after many years to create headlines, once again - a highlight of my time living here.

If you’re a roaster reading this and you’re interested in a box of Esmeralda coffee, you’re in luck, I just added some of their final inventories on the year to the Forward offering list - act fast. I added new lots yesterday as all our Esmeralda coffees sold out within a day of the results - the joy and ease of living here.

Full BOP 2025 Auction Lineup - Join Forward

We’re building a group to participate in this year’s BOP Auction - and I’d love for you to join us. 25 of the awarded lots are from producers Forward works with!

If you want to bid with me, reply and I’ll get you set up. This will be one that will continue to smash the record books, for sure.

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Top Quality Records, broken, Top Pricing Records, incoming

The previous record in the BOP Auction is $10,013/kg, set in 2024

If you recall my formula to convert down 1kg of Green, works into 50 Cups of 250ml or ~16 bottles of wine equivalence in terms of liquid brewed coffee.

Therefore at $10,013/kg that means the cost of a 250ml cup = $200 and the cost of a 750ml bottle = $625

I’ve heard many people in the industry commenting on the possibility of $20,000/kg+ for the Geisha. Others are speculating that someone will attempt to purchase all three lots from this Triple Crown feat and have their name eternalized in headlines as the buyer of these record setting coffees. There’s 60kg of coffee total, could someone come swinging in and smash the purchase record - anything is possible, it all simply depends on how deep your pockets are.

If I had the budget, I’d make the attempt to purchase all three coffees as I believe I also have the market to sell them, green, roasted or brewed. There’s a surprisingly open segment of people that are interested in experiencing this type of coffee at this sort of price point. They’d pay to have the experience once to say they did.

Personally I believe we’ll see someone manage to secure all three #1 coffees as a bidder and then they’ll chop the lots with friends and coffee nerds from around the World, sharing in the marvel and glory that is this coffee. Celebrating in its beauty from hopefully all corners of the World. It’s the type of coffee that should be shared for more people to enjoy.

There’s a list of pros- and cons- associated with price records. One benefit, is it almost always causes a ripple effect that’s felt throughout the industry and creates a conversation surrounding the price-threshold for coffees all throughout the space. As the ceiling gets lifted, the floor begins to rise.

Distance: Buy the Drip run club. Clocking some kilometers. Help us push a few more kilometers through this week?

Want to join us as we hit the road? Let’s connect on Strava! or, join our Whoop group - just respond to the email and let’s grind together!