Hey guys, welcome back.
Today we’re going to discuss geisha coffee, and more specifically, Panamanian Geisha, the new world record, the best of Panama auction and why Geisha coffee is so expensive. So, let us get started.
At the beginning of August 2025 the speciality coffee world witnessed another jaw-dropping moment: a 20kg lot of washed Geisha coffee from Hacienda La Esmerelda, sold at the Best of Panama auction for $604,080 USD, which is $30,204 USD per kilogram – a new world record, which is now named the worlds most expensive coffee. And this has also achieved the highest cup score ever recorded at the Best of Panama at 98 points. This was won by a newly opened coffee roastery in Dubai – Julith Coffee, who secured the lot after a vigorous bidding war of 549 bids.
This years figure didn’t just break the world record – it rushed it. With last years top Best of Panama lot achieving $10,013 USD per kilogram, meaning Julith Coffee’s winning bid is more than triple the previous years record. Meanwhile, a naturally processed Geisha Meanwhile, a naturally processed Geisha from the same farm (Hacienda La Esmerelda) was sold for $23,608 USD per kilogram, and another washed Geisha from Finca Sophia Olympus for $7,163 USD per kilogram. Meaning 30/50 lots at this years auction exceeded the $1,000 USD per kg mark – a very remarkable outcome.
So, Who are Julith Coffee?
Julith Coffee are new to the Dubai speciality coffee scene, who launched just two weeks before the 2025 Best of Panama auction and the brand has already made history by securing the top lot.
Julith, in Al Quoz plans to offer ultra exclusive cupping sessions which will be led by Julith’s head roaster and Turkish barista champion, Serkan Sağsöz.
Serkan has described the winning lot as ‘the absolute pinnacle of flavour, craftsmanship and terroir’ and captures Julith Coffee’s ambition to position Dubai as a global destination for ultra rare coffee experiences.
What is The Allure of Geisha Coffee?
Geisha or sometime spelt Gesha comes from the Gesha region of Ethiopia, where the coffee variety was first discovered in the 1930’s – the variety was later propagated through Tanzania and Costa Rica, before arriving in Panama in the 1960’s.
Geisha cultivar distinguished itself very quickly through its floral and tea like characteristics.
Ideal Growing Conditions
Panama’s Boquete region in the province of Chiriqui is proved best for the region to grow geisha due to its volcanic soils, high altitude, moderate temperatures and microclimate. The Peterson family, who own and operate Hacienda La Esmerelda, harnessed these ideal conditions perfectly, winning the best of Panama auction in 2004 and establishing their long form dominance of premium status Geisha.
Geisha Scarcity and High Entry Barriers
· Slow maturation: Geisha trees typically take four to five years before even fruiting and producing their first cherries.
· Low yield: The geisha variety produces much less fruit per tree compared to other varieties due to its weak root system.
· Delicate cultivation: For optimal growth, geisha demands precise elevation, shade, volcanic soil and very few regions match Panama’s iconic terroir.
· Labour intensive farming and processing: coffee cherry picking is extremely selective and often involves multiple checks before passing. The processing methods, usually natural, washed and honey and meticulous and very time consuming, and each shapes the outcome flavour in distinctive ways.
Storytelling & Exceptional Flavour Profiles
The reputation of Geisha coffee stands not just from rarity, but from its exceptional cup quality. From floral to tropical fruits and berries to tea like vibrancy, all attributes that great speciality coffee roasters and consumers crave.
Speciality coffee ideals emphasise traceability, terroir and perfect storytelling – this has elevated geishas appeal among quality conscious enthusiasts and consumers alike.
Prestigious Auction Culture
Geisha coffee regularly dominates auctions like the best of panama, which always fetch record breaking scores and prices – and overtime this becomes luxury, a status symbol, and farms like La Esmerelda and Los Lajones Estate command astronomical prices in premium geisha lots.
Community Thoughts
Across the world, the coffee community share thoughts on the best of panama. And the speciality coffee community recognises that these record prices refer to micro lots and not the majority of Panama’s coffee exports.
The Surrealism of Valuation
The winning Hacienda La Esmerelda lot sold for $30,204 USD per kilogram, like we have said at the beginning of this article – but the surrealism behind the actual value of this coffee is insane. That values the coffee at $7.02 per bean, and a usual dose for a pour over is around 20g, with that I could buy three Comandante C40 hand grinders, that is around 140 beans per 20g dose – $7.02 X 140 = $982.80 USD.
More Reflection and Content
Market vs Industry Reality
Not everybody in the coffee industry sees crazy auction prices as positive. Due to the increasing financial challenges many roasters face through rising commodity prices and exceedingly small profit margins.
Also, critics say, glorifying these prices will distort the perceptions of the speciality coffee industry – suggesting an industry wave of wealth, when many farmers and producers are struggling immensely.
In whole these geisha auctions function similarly to luxury goods and wine collections.
To Finish
The wold record $30,204/kg sale of Hacienda la Esmerelda’s geisha coffee at the 2025 best of Panama auction shows ow rarity, terroir, effort, artistry, reputation, and storytelling create an untouched luxury in the coffee industry. Julith Coffee’s winning bid helps celebrate Panama’s history of producing excellence and highlights the evolving global demand for next level coffee experiences.
Beyond this record, the question is still raised – how much of the coffee world actually benefits from these luxury lot prices?
Regardless, geisha coffee is still speciality coffees statement piece – a small floral moment of what’s possible when quality, care, rarity, and branding come together.
These who are lucky enough to sip upon these next-level coffees that are thousands of dollars per cup – it’s more of a story telling experience than just a cup of coffee.
And that is it for today’s article. I really enjoyed this one and I hope you did too.
If you are interested in brewing great coffee – you could even use a geisha – why not check out our article of how to brew great coffee with the origami dripper.
We will also be releasing some coffee themed merchandise and products for all you amazing coffee people very soon, so be on the lookout here or on our social media.
Until next time, thanks for reading
Catch you on the next one.
