Best of Panama - Mil Cumbres, Geisha Washed - 17

Mil Cumbres is a first-generation coffee farm in Cloud Valley, Cordillera, Volcan founded by Mario Fonseca, whose Geisha & Pacamara have ranked among the top auction lots at the Best of Panama. In 2024, Mario’s Flair Geisha broke into the Auction Lots for the first time, ranking 17th in the Geisha Washed Category, along with the achievement of 2nd Place in Varietals with a Pacamara —a coveted level-up from placing 6th in 2023.

A lawyer by trade, Mario was inspired by his uncle Payin, whom he regards as the true coffee enthusiast & credits for imparting the passion to keep discovering Panama's distinctive & diverse coffees to him since his youth.

He graciously acknowledges how Mil Cumbres' accomplishments are possible because of the strong camaraderie among the country's coffee-growing community, reminiscent of the spirit of unity that led to the SCA Panama's establishment in the 1990s, & is exemplified by the generous mentorship of Mario by Ratibor Hartmann, seasoned 3rd generation producer of the celebrated Hartmann coffee family heritage.

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 Mario Fonseca Imendia 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.