Panama - Emporio Estate, GN Lot 22A

Graciano Cruz, founder of HIU Coffee Farms, is among the pioneering, legendary Best of Panama producers whose Geisha & Varietals are regularly recognized among the Auction Lots.

A seasoned coffee polymath, he has cultivated his expertise over decades of transformative work at his high altitude & inherently organic estates, Los Lajones & Emporio in Boquete, Chiriqui, coupled with extensive travels to & thoughtful immersion in various coffee-producing communities in different origin countries, as well as continuous dynamic knowledge-sharing with his peers in Panama’s premium coffee-growing circle.

In the 2024 Best of Panama, Los Lajones Bambu placed 11th in the Geisha Natural Category, reaffirming Graciano & the estate's place among Panama's coffee luminaries, with a track record of figuring mostly within the Top 10 auction lots, such as the Los Lajones Eliah Sweet lot placing 3rd among the 2022 Varietals; an Emporio Varietal in 2nd & Emporio Geisha Natural in 10th at the 2021 competition.

Graciano is also internationally esteemed for enhancing the capacity of coffee estates in El Salvador, Peru & Brasil to develop their own distinctive, premium coffees by offering visionary insight & practical guidance for implementing the essential infrastructure.

Panama Geisha is a rare, delicate, and complex variety well-loved for its sweet florality and citrus highlights. Since its debut win at the Best of Panama auction in 2004, it has kept specialty coffee lovers everywhere captivated by its endless possibilities, delicacy, complexity, and clarity of flavors.

As such, it is often showcased on coffee competition stages by a great number of coffee champions, and it also continues to fetch the highest prices.

While a coffee’s truest intrinsic qualities are still largely believed to be showcased best by traditional washed processing due to the demucilaging, washing, and scrubbing steps removing all traces of fruit from the bean, the expertise of seasoned and passionate producers like Hiu Coffee / Graciano Cruz allows them to direct the flavor character of the Panama Geisha towards a seemingly endless diversity of delightfully surprising trajectories.

They do this through the purposeful implementation of traditional methods like the natural and honey processes, as well as intentional and innovative processing styles.