In the 2026 Best of Panama Natural Geisha category, a lot from Finca Lérida took first place with 95.63 points, bringing this century-old Boquete estate back into the spotlight. This edition featured 102 competing coffees and 46 judges, with head judge Ellen Fan from China, also the first female head judge in BOP's thirty-year history. To come out on top in an event like this, Lérida relied on its deep foundations.
The story of this estate begins in 1924. Norwegian engineer Tollef Bache Mönniche, retired from the Panama Canal project, and his wife Julia bought land in Alto Quiel, Boquete, and named the estate Lérida, after a city in Spain. He built the house himself in Norwegian rural style, and also planted the estate's first coffee trees. In 1929, Lérida exported Panamanian coffee to Germany for the first time—in a sense, the reputation of Panamanian coffee in Europe began right here. Mönniche, an engineer by training, left behind many interesting things: he designed one of Panama's earlier gravity-driven washing facilities for the estate, and also invented a "siphon" sorting device and patented it, used to separate ripe cherries from unripe ones. It is said that this equipment is still in operation at Lérida today, and the sorting approach later adopted by many coffee estates around the world originated here.
Entering the 21st century, the estate passed through several hands, and was finally taken over by the Amoruso family around 2008. Today's manager is María Antonela Amoruso, born in Boquete, who owns five farms in total: the old Lérida estate in Alto Quiel, Michella and Flora in Volcancito, and Amelia and Esplenderosa in Jaramillo, with growing elevations extending from 1500 meters all the way to 2000 meters. After taking over the estate, she put much of her energy into the team, providing employees with housing, meals, and support for their children's education. Lérida also frequently places in the top ten at BOP competitions, until 2026 finally brought home the championship in the natural category. The estate is adjacent to Volcán Barú National Park, covered by cloud forest, and is said to have recorded more than 500 species of birds. With high elevation and heavy cloud cover, the ripening period of the coffee cherries is extended, making the acidity and sweetness more balanced—this is the most generous gift of high-altitude terroir.
This 2026 Natural Geisha champion coffee is precisely the product of a century of terroir combined with a younger processing method. For those who love Panamanian Geisha, Lérida deserves a place on your next cup's list.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
