Panama geisha coffee crop shrinks as September auction approaches
Panama harvested about 50% of its usual specialty coffee output after heavy rain, drought and extreme temperatures. Geisha production fell by at least 30%, tightening supply before the Best of Panama auction in September.
Weather cuts Panama’s specialty coffee harvest
Panama’s exclusive geisha coffee is entering the 2026 auction season with substantially lower availability after heavy rainfall, drought and extreme temperatures damaged the harvest. Libertad Digital reports that producers expect the reduced supply to put further upward pressure on a coffee already regarded as the world’s most expensive.
Ricardo Koyner, president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama, said the country obtained only around 50% of its usual specialty coffee production. The season was initially affected by very heavy rainfall and subsequently by an intense drought. Geisha grower Graciano Cruz Landero, owner of Los Lajones Bambú farm, estimated that production of the variety itself declined by at least 30% because of the weather.
The estimates cover different segments of the crop and therefore do not present a single loss figure for all Panamanian coffee. They nevertheless point to a sharp contraction in the premium lots that underpin the country’s international reputation.
A small crop serving a high-value market
Panama remains a minor producer by global volume. Its coffee output totaled approximately 7.7 million kilograms in the 2024-2025 season, down 3.2% from the preceding year. Nearly two-thirds of production comes from Chiriquí province, the main growing area for the celebrated geisha variety.
The scale of the price gap between geisha and conventional arabica demonstrates that this is a specialized luxury market rather than a substitute for mainstream coffee. According to figures cited by Efeagro, a 20-kilogram geisha lot sold for a record €26,300 per kilogram at the 2025 Best of Panama auction. Dubai-based Julith Coffee bought the lot. Conventional arabica averaged around €7.40 per kilogram in the same year, based on World Bank estimates reported by Libertad Digital.
The record lot’s price cannot be applied to Panama’s entire geisha crop, because auction results reflect exceptional quality, scarcity and competition among specialist buyers. However, a smaller harvest means roasters and traders seeking the highest-rated lots will compete over fewer available kilograms.
Producers expect quality gains despite lower volume
Growers say the unfavorable weather may have produced a quality benefit. With fewer fruits on each plant, sugars can become more concentrated and aromatic profiles more complex. Cruz Landero said high daytime temperatures combined with cold nights slowed maturation, potentially producing sweeter coffee with more intense flavors.
Wilford Lamastus of Lamastus Family Estate also expects the reduced crop to allow producers to devote more attention to individual lots. He anticipates that quality scores could exceed those recorded in the previous edition. These assessments will be tested through national and international tastings rather than volume statistics alone.
September sale will test buyer demand
The 30th Best of Panama competition has begun with 102 lots from 47 producers. A first national tasting will select the leading coffees in each category. More than 100 international experts will then evaluate the finalists before the selected lots enter the electronic auction in September.
The auction will provide the clearest market test of how buyers value the combination of reduced supply and producers’ expectations of higher quality. Another record is possible, but the available information establishes no future price. For farms, specialist traders and premium roasters, the immediate certainty is that significantly fewer Panamanian specialty coffee lots will be available this season.
