I think, that was probably the moment
That changed the history of specialty coffee
Hello everyone, this is Anstar
This time, I visited the country where the most expensive coffee in the world is sold
Costing over 10 million won per kilogram
And a country that grows the coffee
Used by many national barista competitors:
The Panama region
For about two weeks
I turned on the camera to share
My thoughts while I visited Panama producing districts
Panama is located in the right middle between
South and North America
Only about 5 million people are living in this country
There are certain areas within the country where they harvest coffee beans
But most of them grow Robusta coffee
The high quality Arabica coffee beans that we’re familiar with are harvested
Within an hour's distance from the capital city, Panama City, by plane
At Volcan Baru in Chiriqui
Specifically in the area between
Volcan and Boquete
Panama is not a big country
Which puts a limit in their coffee bean production
It’s known to partake only 0.1% of the entire coffee production of the world
It’s actually difficult to claim that all coffee beans that are harvested in Panama are
Sold at the most expensive rate in the whole world
It’s more accurate to say that the Geisha coffee harvested in Panama is
Sold at the most expensive rate
In the entire world
Geisha is known to be the most expensive coffee out there
(Coffee variety?) You may wonder if there are varieties of coffee
(Setoka - Citrus - Beni Madonna) But like Setoka and Beni Madonna that are grown on Jeju island
They are both citrus
But their scent and taste differ by types
(Arabica) Likewise, under the big category of Arabica coffee bean
There are a lot of varieties
And the most favorable type is Geisha
The place where Geisha coffee was first introduced is
Known to be Panama
(The origin of Geisha) The Geisha variety was first discovered
(Ethiopia?) Not in Panama but Ethiopia
It was first discovered in the 1930s in the Gesha area in Ethiopia
The name of the first Geisha coffee discovered was
Gesha
(Geisha) (Gesha) When we purchase Geisha coffee
It is often written Gesha
Or Geisha
It’s good to understand
They both refer to Geisha coffee
Geisha that was first discovered in Ethiopia
Due to the low production
It was gradually forgotten from people's memories
In the past, there was no such knowledge about these specialty coffee
And there was no need for high-quality coffee
So, production output was very important
Because only when production output is high
A lot of coffee could be sold
And can earn money
During our Panama itinerary
We saw a lot of Geisha coffee trees
Compared to other types of trees we commonly encounter
We could see that the branches were very thin
And there were very few coffee cherries on the trees
Meanwhile, we went through Costa Rica
And went to Panama
Then, in Boquete
A now truly famous farm
Hacienda La Esmeralda
Geisha once again became known to the world
This Hacienda La Esmeralda is not only a coffee farm
But also the farm that produces high-quality milk in Panama
Operating a ranch
Esmeralda owner Price Peterson
Purchased an additional farm in Boquete in 1996
And Panama Geisha was growing on that farm
Annually, in Panama, they have an auction called Best of Panama, BoP
That selects the best coffee grown in Panama
In 2004, BoP's
Esmeralda submitted Geisha, which was discovered by chance
And received a score close to perfect, they had never seen anywhere else at the time
When the judges were evaluating at the time
The coffee was too delicious that
They drank it until their cups were empty
Like that, the coffee was sold at an unusual price of $21 per pound
And became known worldwide
From now, it is really cheap
But at that time, for less than a few dozen cents per pound
The coffee was sold
So, this Panama Geisha from Esmeralda was
Sold at a considerable price
Like that, the Geisha became known to people all over the world
And Panamanian farm owners realized that there was a demand
For good coffee to be purchased at a high price
I think, that was probably the moment
That changed the history of specialty coffee
Because until then, the three significant coffees in the world
Yemen's Mocha, Jamaica's Blue Mountain, and Hawaiian Kona
These coffees were sold at the highest price
And were known to be the highest quality coffees
But now
Geisha has taken over completely
So, nowadays, I don't think we can't even try
Hawaiian Kona or Jamaica Blue mountain
After witnessing Esmeralda's Geisha being sold at such high prices
The other Panamanian farm owners
Start planting Geisha coffee trees one after another
For example, one of the most famous farms in Panama that we met this time
The Elida Estate's owner Willford
Also witnessed Esmeralda taking 1st place in 2004
And planted Geisha coffee trees on his farm the following day
Quite the man of action
Of course, other countries who saw this also
Started planting Esmeralda's Geisha coffee seeds
And the Geisha from the farm that is now very famous include
El Injerto's Legendary Geisha
And Bolivia Takesi's Geisha
This means that other countries can also plant these Geisha variety
Whenever they please
(Why are Panama Geisha sold at exceptionally high prices?) But why is it that only Panama's Geisha receive
Such high scores
And are sold at such high prices?
I can think of 3 reasons
(Reason Panama's geisha are sold at such high prices) First, the blessed terroir in Panama
Second, the farmers' effort
And lastly, the BoP
Which stands for Best of Panama
(Terroir: All the environmental elements when growing coffee (ex. altitude, climate, soil, etc.)) Terroir refers to all environmental elements
When it comes to growing coffee
Panama is small, but horizontally long
So, most of its territory borders or is close to the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean
So, in the high-altitude Boquete and Volcan regions surrounding the Volcan Baru
Sea breezes collide with the mountains, creating a microclimate
Back when we were in Panama
It was raining where we were
But even if we were only 10m away
We saw a phenomenon that stopped
So in Panama, it's common to ask whether it's raining
Where someone is, by phone
So even if you're in the same region, the climate is diverse
So, it's common to experience different climates in the same farmland
(Microclimate gives Geisha coffee its diversity) Such climate changes
Give Panama Geisha its diversity
And the volcanic soil near Volcan Baru
Supply the coffee trees with abundant nutrients
The altitude varies from 1,400m to 2,200m
Thanks to this high altitude
They can grow such aromatic coffee
(Why does coffee grow at high altitudes become good quality?) Generally, coffees that are grown at high altitudes
Have a better flavor
(High altitude > Low temperature & Fluctuating temperatures > Coffee cherry's shrinking and expanding > High sugar) Due to fluctuating temperature, coffee cherry shrink and expand
And has more sugar
The coffee ends up having more nutrients to withstand that environment
(Stores a lot of nutrients to survive the high altitude's temperature fluctuations) So, those abundant nutrients
Ultimately result in a more delicious coffee flavor
But the reason why Panama Geisha is the most delicious is
Difficult to explain solely by terroir
If good terroir alone guarantees the cultivation of delicious coffee
Then other countries should also be able to produce delicious coffee from high-altitude regions
But that is not the case
Through this journey, I have learned that it is not just the terroir
But also the tremendous efforts of the farm owners and farmers
Basically when guests come for cupping, farm owners in Panama
Stay right close to them during the sessions
They listen carefully to how the customer evaluates their coffee
Even while we were evaluating, they stood nearby to hear what notes we tasted
And asked a lot about what scores the coffee received
They are always keen to listen to what type of coffee the customer prefers
Then they can apply this feedback to the next batch of coffee they cultivate
Wilford from the Elida Estate we met was no exception
Actually it's more appropriate to call him Mr. Wilford
Because he's over 60
Regardless of the age, he drives tractors by himself
Introduced us to every little detail about the farm
And is just so full of passion
Elida Estate is already famous
But Wilford has bought more land at high altitude
Because Geisha coffee that's cultivated from high altitude
Takes about 10 years to cultivate good ones
He might not even be able to harvest the fruits himself
But he keeps investing for his grandchildren and sons
And as you all may know
The higher the altitude, the less land there is available for cultivating coffee
Since the mountain ranges are so steep
It's not an environment where machinery can be used
Therefore people have to pick the fruits by hand
And because Panama cultivates high quality coffee
It cannot be done by machinery
Only skilled pickers must carefully select the fully ripe cherries and process
To get the detailed and delicate flavors of high quality Panama Geisha coffee
Because of that, the production volume is inevitably low
If the altitude increases slightly high
Farms that are above 1800m
Are practically like jungles
It's not the kind of well-organized coffee farms that we think of
(Trees planted here) There's a tree hidden here
(Trees planted there) Coffee trees are hidden among the landscape
People have to search around everywhere
And pick the fruits
Which shows how challenging it really is
To plant coffee tress there
At first, in desolate land
You need to cultivate land suitable for growing coffee
To do that, you need to plant other fruit trees first
So Wilford is now working hard to cultivate that land
He is revitalizing nature again to cultivate delicious coffee
Also, Longboard's Justin is the same
About 500 to 600 kg of harvest per year?
That's really a small amount, isn't it?
But the reason why they harvest so little is that
They don't use pesticides
There is a belief that
The most environmentally friendly method
Results in the best coffee flavor
So they also plant coffee trees with wider spacing
And cultivate coffee in a completely natural environment
Then naturally, the production volume is expected to decrease
However, they strive to produce high-quality coffee accordingly
So they need to pick the well-ripened coffee beans
The pickers are extremely important
So, it's also crucial to educate those pickers
So, they were using few pickers
And to pick only well ripened coffee beans
They were training them
And Panama has a relatively small land area
So, there is a very rapid exchange among farmers
So, one farm produced good coffee
That good coffee
Came out through this process
If there are new technologies
Everyone wants to adopt them
For example, among Panamanian coffees these days
Many coffees have undergone the darkroom process
After harvesting coffee cherries
Coffees that have undergone processing need to be dried
Usually, in the past, they used to do it on patios
Or use the Guardiola machine
Or common to make African beds and dry them on top
But on Nuguo Farm, the owner, Pocho
He is a former professor
We did cupping at 5 AM at Pocho's house
He just started cultivating coffee
He wants to produce high-quality coffee
But space is limited
So, after regulating temperature and humidity inside the house
He start drying the coffee indoors
That's the beginning of the darkroom process
But that coffee received a very high score
The coffee had a very clear and excellent flavor profile
Upon hearing this news, other Panamanian farm owners
Do the darkroom process
Because Panamanian farm owners are
Very interested in raising 0.5 points
And 1 point
No matter how good the terroir is, it's hard to bear fruit
Without farmers' efforts
The trend keeps changing
And people's tastes become more diverse
But Panama farm owners try to keep up with the trend
And try to bring out the original terroir itself
They're constantly trying to find a way
To grow coffee that's even better
And one of the reasons why Panama coffee can be sold at the most expensive prices
I don't think we can leave BoP out
(Auctions on the best coffee harvested in Panama that year) BoP stands for Best of Panama
Every year, the best coffee is decided
Through a screening process
And they put up an auction for people all over the world
BoP is the best coffee sold through the auction
All countries outside Panama
Under the name of COE
Now hold auctions
(B.o.P Categories) Geisha Washed, Geisha Natural, and Varietal
This BoP is conducted in these three categories
Washed and Natural are for Geisha category
Varietal allows you to exhibit all varieties of coffee other than Geisha
And the price has been renewed every year
This BoP is divided into 1st National and 2nd International
The first, National will be judged by Panama plantation owners
It's completely blinded
The coffees that pass the National round
Move on to the 2nd round of International
Judges from all over the world gather to evaluate them
Every year, the coffee that ranks first in this BoP is
Sold as the most expensive coffee in the world
I went there this time, I heard that BoP is so important to Panamanian farm owners that
They say that if you get first place in BoP, your life will change
It's a scene where their efforts are recognized
It's a place where they get rewarded for that
The coffees that got high scores in BoP
Are sold to countries with a lot of capital, such as China, the Middle East, the US
Japan, and Korea
Usually, these BoPs are sold in Asian countries
Or newly rich countries
And traditionally, there's less interest from western countries
Where they've enjoyed specialty coffees for a long time
(Traditional production areas such as Kenya/Ethiopia have previously been closely connected to Western markets) Kenya and Ethiopia are geographically close
So, traditionally
Locals who have been growing delicious coffee for a long time
Are already very connected to traditional Western countries
So even if you want to get good coffee there
Because they had formed relationships
And signed many supply contracts
Obtaining very good quality coffee was not easy
But auctions like this are fair
So even emerging countries with a relatively short history of specialty coffee
Can take up the challenge
They can compete with capital
So, in a way, I think Panama's BoP
Might be more popular among emerging countries
While I was in Panama
In BoP's Variety and Geisha categories
Coffee that was suspected of being flavored appeared
The farm owners were furious
They said they couldn’t tolerate flavored coffee coming from Panama
There was a heated debate
After intense discussion, the flavored coffee was disqualified
If it’s confirmed that the coffee submitted was flavored
That farm will be banned from BoP for three years
Like this, there’s a strong aversion to flavored coffee
They really value the natural taste from the terroir
That's why in Panama Geisha sessions
They value Washed session so much
They focus on diversifying coffee flavors
Without compromising
The original flavors of terroir
That come from traditional processing
Seeing that, I thought
Regardless of what’s right or wrong
Flavored coffees are going to become very diverse
As this happens, I believe Panama's coffees
Will likely be sold at higher prices
At a time when the number of flavored coffees is increasing, I believe that
People who know their value are
Very likely to pay more money to find the rare coffee
So, if you watch this video
And for those who want to try Panama Geisha
I recommend you try clean Washed coffee first
It’s the best way to fully experience the true terroir of Panama Geisha
By drinking the Washed coffee
You can finally taste the raw essence of Panama Geisha
I’ve briefly shared what I felt during my trip to Panama
We’ve filmed a lot of videos in Panama
We’ll edit them well and upload them soon
I think it would be good to consider this video as a trailer
I hope you watch that video
If you have Panama Geisha after watching that video
The value you feel will probably be completely different
That’s it for today
I’ll see you next time with more informative coffee content
Bye!
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