A complete analysis of the coffees presented by competitors — origins, farms, varieties and processes — with a focused reading of the grand final.
Round one drew a clear map of power: one origin dominates, one variety reigns, and a handful of farms concentrate most of the world-class recipes.
61% of all competitors built their recipe on Panamanian coffee. No other origin comes close.
Between classic Geisha and Red Geisha, 39 of 46 recipes speak the same sensory dialect.
Natural still leads, but anaerobic and controlled-fermentation methods now nearly match it in frequency.
Counting every blend that includes Panama as Panama, the isthmus's dominance is overwhelming. Colombia consolidates as the second pole, appearing mostly in high-end blends.
28 recipes with Panama = 20 pure isthmus + 8 blends (Bene Sanchez, Erlend Wessel-Berg, Jaideep Sidhu, Lisa Zancanella, Matin Shaikh, Ryan Wibawa, Simon Gautherin, Tom Tran). Denmark appears as a curiosity: Rasmus Madsen grew the Flora variety in a controlled greenhouse.
Geisha doesn't just win — it defines the competition. The Red Geisha selection and rarities like Ethiopian Landrace, Sidra or Pacamara mark where competitors sought to differentiate themselves.
"Geisha family" groups classic Geisha and Red Geisha. Exotic varieties (Sidra, Pacamara, Flora, Sudan Rume, Catuai, Excelsa, Liberica) were niche bets to stand out amid so much Geisha.
The processing snapshot reveals a competition in transition: natural holds the crown, but controlled and anaerobic fermentation is advancing as the territory of experimentation.
Approximate categorization based on each competitor's declared description. Many baristas combine techniques (washed + natural, fermentation phases), so the category reflects the dominant trait.
From most to least used. The four leading farms are all Panamanian. Hacienda La Esmeralda leads with six recipes, followed by Janson Estate with five; together the top farms concentrate the most-repeated coffees of the round.
The full list (including the 39 farms with a single appearance) is available in the interactive matrix below. Country in parentheses.
All 46 competitors with their origin, farm, variety and process. Search, filter and sort any column.
| Country ▼ | Competitor ▼ | Coffee Origin ▼ | Farm(s) ▼ | Variety ▼ | Process ▼ |
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The six baristas who advanced shared one striking constant: every single recipe in the final was built on Panamanian coffee. The cards below are ordered by their final standing.
Five of the six finalists poured a coffee grown wholly or partly in Panama; Simon Gautherin's runner-up recipe paired a Colombian lot with a Panamanian one. Finca Nuguo stands out as the terroir of the champion.
Bavis Kwong (Hong Kong) took 3rd (459) with a Geisha, anaerobic natural process.
Jackie Tran (Czech Rep.), round-one leader, finished 4th (425) with an Ethiopian Landrace, natural with a 48-day drying.
Ethan J. Park (5th, washed Geisha from Los Cenizos) and Angie Molina (6th, natural Geisha from Los Pozos, Chiriquí) rounded out the final.
The six finalists, by total score across Open Service and Compulsory Service. Nas Jaafar overturned the round-one order to take the title.
All 46 competitors by round-one score. The top six advanced to the final (highlighted). Lakis Psomas (Sweden) was disqualified.