Photo Credit @Jnyuwang
Best of Panama 2018 competition concluded May 26th and the results for Elida Estate were tremendous. Elida Estate in the same year it turned 100 years, won NOT one, but TWO 1st places in both Geisha categories.
For the first time since Geisha was discovered, a produce won 1st place in BOTH Geisha categories, plus a record with a 94.66 in Elida Geisha Washed, AND, the Panama Cup for the producer of the year. Important to mention this is not the first time Wilford Lamastus wins the Panama Cup, nor the 1st place with a record in the Geisha Washed category. The current record was held by Elida Geisha Washed 1st place in 2016 with a 94.15 that now was taken down by this year's Elida Geisha Washed with a 94.66.
The Elida Geisha Washed got scores over 96 points by 5 different judges, and 3 judges gave the coffee over 97 points, including 97.75 by Taroh Suzuki of Saza who said that it was his highest score ever, and Will Young from Campos Coffee called the Unicorn coffee with a score of 97. Mike Perry of Klatch coffee also scored this coffee 97 points. Three veteran experienced judges from three different continents. It felt as an historic moment for the coffee industry, and it created a lot of expectation since the deliberation in the morning until the award ceremony in the night of May 26th. Hearing it was our coffee created a lot of excitement, and it felt different from other year first places. 1st places in both Geisha categories, and finishing with the Panama cup, felt like a walk off home run.
Last year in Best of Panama 2017, the Lamastus Family didn't have the success of previous years or this year. The highest price in 2017 was 8th place in Geisha Natural and 4th Place in Traditional Natural. But, even thou Lamastus Family Estate was not a big winner, Panama was, because Hacienda La Esmeralda broke the auction record with $601/lb of green coffee (previously held by them with $350.75 in 2013). This accomplishment of the Peterson family broke so many barriers for Panama, putting the specialty coffee industry, and Panamanian coffee in the mind of many more people that never heard about it before.
Now, our focus is on the upcoming auction that will happen on July 19th, 2018 at 6pm Panama time, 49 lots entered the auction and 39 scored over 90 points. This include both No. 1 Geishas, Elida Geisha Washed 94.66 and Elida Geisha Natural 93.63. We hope to make an impact in the coffee world with this auction, is hard to say that we can come close to Esmeralda's prices but at least we can hope to get the right price for these coffees.
