Coffee production in Panama

Coffee production in Panama was occurring in the Boquete Valley by the early 20th century,[1] although coffee was growing wild all over the Pacific coast region of Panama by this time, when production did not match domestic consumption.[1] The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has grouped mild arabica as the variety of coffee that is grown in Panama.[2] The best quality of coffee in Panama is grown in Boquete.[3] In the Coffee Review of 2008, two Panamanian coffees have received higher rating and fetched record prices than the coffee from Costa Rica.[4] This is mainly due to the unprecedented success of the Geisha varietal. This varietal originated from and arrived via Tanzania and Costa Rica in the 1960s in Panama. But only in 2004, its outstanding taste profile was recognized. In 2019 one pound of Panama Geisha beans fetched $1,029 in an auction.[5]

  1. ^ a b Graham, Harry Crusen (1912). Coffee: Production, trade, and consumption by countries (Public domain ed.). Government Printing Office. p. 47.
  2. ^ "Coffee producing countries by ICO quality group". International Trade Centre. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  3. ^ Baker & Mingasson 2007, p. 198.
  4. ^ Wood 2009, pp. 215–17.
  5. ^ "Panama Geisha Coffee – most expensive coffee in the world". Coffee Without Limits.