Best of Panama
Best of Panama (BoP) is an annual green-coffee competition and online auction, run by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama. It was founded in 1996 by pioneering producers from Boquete, Tierras Altas, and Renacimiento, during a stretch of historically low world coffee prices. By 2025 it had been running for nearly three decades.
To verify
Sources give 1996 as the founding year but call 2025 the “29th” edition — those don’t fully reconcile (1996 → 2025 inclusive would be the 30th). Confirm the exact first-competition year and 2025’s edition number before quoting either.
Format
- Producers submit lots into three main categories: Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietals (non-Geisha).
- Lots are cupped blind — first by a national jury (~20 judges) that narrows the field, then by an international jury (22 judges in 2025). Deliberations are livestreamed.
- Winning lots go to a public online auction, where roasters and buyers worldwide bid per pound on small lots.
Why it matters
BoP is the event that created the modern ultra-premium coffee market. In 2004, Hacienda La Esmeralda entered a separated Geisha lot that stunned the judges and sold for a then-record $21/lb — an absurd price at the time, and the moment everything changed.
Records
| Year | Lot | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Esmeralda Geisha (first Geisha entry) | $21/lb |
| 2025 | Esmeralda Washed Geisha, scored 98/100 | ≈ $13,705/lb — world record |
| 2025 | Esmeralda Natural Geisha | ≈ $10,709/lb (buyer in China) |
| 2025 | Esmeralda Laurina (Varietals) | ≈ $3,647/lb (buyer in Beijing) |
The 2025 record lot was only 20 kg, drew 549 bids, and went to Julith Coffee (Dubai) — roughly $604,000 for one bag of coffee. 2025 was also the first time in BoP history that judges awarded perfect 100-point scores (five judges, for the washed Esmeralda lot), and Esmeralda swept all three categories — a first.
As prices soar, SCAP is moving to trademark “Panama Geisha” as a protected brand.
To verify
Intermediate-year records (2018–2024 — e.g. the widely cited ~10,013/lb in 2024) are commonly reported but not independently re-verified here. Check the official results pages at bestofpanama.org before quoting on camera.
Related
- Cup of Excellence — the other landmark green-coffee auction
- Geisha · Hacienda La Esmeralda · Don Pachi Serracín · SCAP