Rare origin · home of gesha

Panama Geisha Coffee

Panama’s Chiriquí highlands, around Boquete and Volcán, produce some of the most expensive coffee in the world, led by the floral Gesha variety.

Altitude
4,000–6,500 ft
Harvest
November–March
Varieties
Gesha, Caturra, Catuai, Typica
Usual process
Washed, natural and anaerobic
Rarity index
98/100

Carried by 7 of 312 US roasters we track

On Roasterland
6 coffees · 6 roasters

In the cup

Jasmine, bergamot and stone fruit

A great Panama Gesha is delicate and tea-like: jasmine, bergamot, peach and citrus. Caturra and Catuai lots are sweeter and rounder, with red apple and caramel.

JasmineBergamotStone fruitTea-like

Taste profile

SweetnessHigh
AcidityBright
BodyMedium
BitternessLow

From our tasting of every coffee from this origin on Roasterland. Each coffee page has its own profile.

Panama, side by side

Same origin, different small roasters. Each roasts it its own way.

About the region

The variety that changed specialty coffee

The cool, misty valleys around Volcán Barú give coffee a long, slow ripening. In 2004 a Gesha from Hacienda La Esmeralda won the Best of Panama competition and set a record price, and roasters around the world started chasing it.

Gesha is fragile, low-yielding and hard to grow, so prices stay high. Panama’s farms are small and well documented, and many publish exactly which plot and process each lot came from.

Roasters who roast Panama

Black & White Coffee Roasters Raleigh, NC Klatch Coffee Rancho Cucamonga, CA

If you like Panama, try

AmericasCosta RicaHoney · Brown sugar · Orange · Red apple AmericasColombiaCaramel · Red apple · Orange · Chocolate AfricaEthiopiaJasmine · Bergamot · Blueberry · Lemon

Questions about Panama

Why does Gesha cost so much?
It yields far less than other varieties and needs high altitude and careful picking. Top lots sell at auction for hundreds of dollars a pound.
Is Gesha the same as Geisha?
Yes. The variety is named after the Gesha region of Ethiopia; both spellings are used.