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Heart of Dark Roast: Journeying Deep Into Panama to Try a $1,000 Coffee Bean
A cup of Geisha, you'll find, is worth it

BY JAKE EMEN / FEBRUARY 24, 2020 9:40 AM
It’s exactly like a perfect coffee commercial: a golden halo peeks over the horizon as midnight blues and then fiery reds give way to the pastel painting of a fresh morning. It’s sunrise atop Barú Volcano, where, from Panama’s highest point, at 11,400 feet above sea level, your eyes can scan from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean with a quick swivel of the head. Stretched out below and extending into the distance are waves of lush hillsides where a prized Panamanian product is grown. The fincas of Boquete and the surrounding Chiriquí province are home to the Geisha coffee bean, a sought-after variety which has turned into a global phenomenon; so strong is the clamor for Panama Geisha that world records are annually set and smashed, with auction prices topping $1,000 per pound.