Over ninety percent of the tea produced in Sri Lanka is traded through the Colombo Tea Auction, where two auctions are held each week, attracting around three hundred buyers and exporters. Black tea is the only category that enters the auction, and its transaction prices are regarded as an important benchmark for the global tea market. The auction floor may appear calm, but in reality the pace is rapid: the auctioneer calls out bids alternately in English and Sinhala, buyers signal with a raised hand, and the fall of the gavel seals the deal. This article will guide you through the workings of the Colombo Tea Auction, the bidding increment rules, and the key factors that drive fluctuations in Ceylon black tea prices, while also mentioning Front Street Coffee's black tea products. [more…]

The Best of Yemen 2024 auction closed at $526.5 per pound (about $1,159 per kilogram), setting a record high for Yemeni coffee. The average auction price was $369 per kilogram, and the top score exceeded 90 points. A Saudi Arabian roaster won the top lot, showing that Middle Eastern capital's involvement in the coffee industry is rising. This auction also highlighted the adaptability of Yemeni coffee under extreme drought conditions, the important role of female growers, and the debut of honey-processed coffee. [more…]

Recently, an auction announcement by the Dafeng District People's Court in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, drew widespread attention—the auction item was surprisingly a bottle of Sprite soda with a starting bid of just 4.2 yuan. This bottle of beverage, with a market price of 6 yuan, was limited to self-pickup and not mailed, yet it attracted over 7,500 onlookers and 215 registered bidders. Behind the incident lies a last-ditch effort by the court to recover losses for creditors after a company with a total registered capital exceeding ten million yuan went bankrupt. From 4.08 yuan glass water to 5 yuan bathroom scales, the court has successfully auctioned small items multiple times. Is this seemingly "making a mountain out of a molehill" judicial practice a waste of judicial resources, or is it the proper fulfillment of legal enforcement? This article will take you through the ins and outs of the incident and explore the legal logic and practical dilemmas in judicial auctions. [more…]

Five years after India's tea auctions shifted to electronic platforms, they remain mired in a failure of price discovery. The Federation of All India Tea Traders Associations (FAITTA) points out that digital auctions have failed to achieve their original goal of fair pricing, and the 2020 pandemic further strained production, transportation, and exports on multiple fronts. Meanwhile, the total output of small tea growers has surpassed that of registered estates for the first time, making them a new force in the industry. This article reviews the structural challenges currently facing India's tea industry—from disputes over auction mechanisms to changes in production, and from declining exports to the need for mechanization—providing enthusiasts of fine black teas such as Darjeeling and Assam with a comprehensive overview of producing-region developments and purchasing references. [more…]

Yemen, the birthplace of the coffee trade, has been actively revitalizing its coffee industry in recent years. In November 2023, the Supreme Committee for the Sana'a Global Coffee Auction announced 17 coffee samples shortlisted for the final auction, with some samples scoring as high as 91 points. The auction will be held on January 11, 2024, and will be open to eight countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. Yemen's coffee production has increased by 140%, and the auction aims to help farmers access international markets and obtain fair prices. Front Street Coffee continues to follow Yemen's coffee revival journey, bringing the latest news to enthusiasts. [more…]

Shortly after the 2022 BOP results were announced, the Lamastus family's independent auction once again set a new record for the world's most expensive coffee. Just 7 pounds of honey-processed Geisha from Elida Estate's Aguacatillo lot sold for $6,034 per pound, totaling over $42,000. The entire auction saw 1,762 pounds of Geisha fetch a total of $601,000. Meanwhile, the 2022 BOP top lot auction will kick off on October 7, and whether it can break the record again is drawing close attention. Front Street Coffee will also continue to track the price developments of this top-tier Geisha. [more…]

Auction coffee beans have always been a hot topic in the specialty coffee world, especially the two top Geisha-producing origins—Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda and Ethiopia's Gesha Village. Their grading systems—auction, red label, gold label, green label—often confuse enthusiasts. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article traces the propagation history and growing requirements of the Geisha variety, breaks down in detail the logic behind Hacienda La Esmeralda's auction, red label, green label, and blue label classifications, and compares them with Gesha Village's auction, gold label, red label, green label, and Chaka lot, helping readers understand how different grades of Geisha differ in traceability information, cupping scores, variety composition, and flavor profiles. [more…]

Every year, some coffee beans sell for jaw-dropping prices, sometimes with a single cup being hard to come by. These high-priced beans mostly come from auctions, among which BOP and COE are the two most closely watched platforms. How auctions actually work, and why they can fetch such high prices, is a fascinating entry point for understanding the specialty coffee ecosystem. BOP: Baha [more…]

Kenyan coffee has always held an important position in the specialty Arabica market. Local production is dominated by smallholder farmers, and high-grade beans must be assessed and graded by the Kenya Coffee Board (CBK) before being sold through weekly auctions. This article will outline the brand context and grading logic of Kenyan coffee, with a focus on interpreting the characteristics of the AA Plus micro-lot grade—it has brighter fruit notes and red wine aromas than regular AA. At the same time, it presents the complete profile of Front Street Coffee's Nyeri region Mossball AA Plus, including the SL28 variety, altitude of 1,700 to 1,800 meters, washed processing, and cup tasting notes, helping enthusiasts understand the full picture of Kenyan coffee from the auction system to its performance in the cup. [more…]

The 28th Best of Panama (BOP) competition and auction of 2024 have successfully concluded. The top lot this year was won by Hacienda La Esmeralda's natural Geisha, fetching a bid price of $10,013 per kilogram (about 71,898 RMB), setting a new world record once again. Meanwhile, Elida Estate's washed Geisha followed closely at $10,002 per kilogram, with prices in the multi-variety category roughly tripling compared to last year. From $2.37 per pound in 2002 to today's five-figure US dollar level, BOP auction prices have continued to climb, and the prices of top-lot pour-over coffee in domestic coffee shops have also risen accordingly. This article will provide a complete overview of this year's competition, the highlights of each category, and the historical context, giving you a comprehensive look at the market trends of Panama's top coffees. [more…]

Geisha coffee beans rose to fame after Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama won the BOP competition in 2004, and today Ethiopia's Gesha Village has also become a focus of the specialty coffee world. Although both estates are renowned for the Geisha variety, their grading systems differ greatly. Hacienda La Esmeralda divides Geisha into three grades: Auction, Red Label, and Green Label, while Gesha Village offers Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka batches. This article will systematically organize the Geisha grading standards of these two major estates, provide an in-depth analysis of the meaning and differences of Red Label Geisha, and introduce related product information recommended by Front Street Coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the grading system and flavor characteristics of Geisha coffee. [more…]

In the specialty coffee world, auction lots and same-lot coffees are often lumped together, but the two differ fundamentally in quality and scarcity. This article begins with a real sourcing experience at Front Street Coffee, recounting the team's attempt to purchase COE26 same-lot beans after missing out on an Ethiopian COE auction lot. The article systematically sorts out the competition format and process of the COE Cup of Excellence, the conceptual difference between auction lots and same-lot beans, and documents in detail this Yirgacheffe Worka washed bean's regional background, processing method, roasting curve, cupping performance, and brewing parameters. Will the final cupping result deliver the matcha aroma as hoped? Can same-lot beans replicate the surprise of an auction lot? The answer will be revealed in the article. [more…]

If you frequently buy specialty coffee beans, you have surely seen the letters "COE" on packaging labels. What exactly do they stand for? Why are beans bearing the COE mark often more expensive? This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of COE—from its origins and founding organization, to its specific differences from the SCA cupping scoring system, and then to the three-stage competition format of the Ethiopia COE, breaking it all down one by one. It will also explain the difference between COE auction lots and national winner lots, as well as the difference between "same-lot" beans on the market and true auction lots, helping you more accurately understand and select coffee beans. [more…]

The 2022 Alishan Estate Coffee Elite Exchange Competition and Green Bean Matchmaking Evaluation was held on May 11. Competing beans were divided into four groups by processing method: washed, natural, honey, and Geisha. Participants had to submit parchment and green beans, which the organizers uniformly roasted, and then 15 CQI-certified Q-Graders conducted sensory evaluations using the SCA cupping form. Only beans scoring 80 or above could participate in the auction. In the auction the next day, the special prize in the natural group, Zouzhuyuan Coffee Beans, started bidding at NT$60,000 and soared all the way to NT$520,000/5kg, won by the Lion Group, setting a new record for Taiwanese coffee bean auctions. Notably, these beans were not of the Geisha variety, yet they fetched a top-tier Geisha price, while the special prize in the Geisha group was only NT$320,000. This article takes you through the ins and outs of this sky-high bidding and analyzes the industrial logic behind the rise of Taiwan's local coffee. [more…]

When it comes to Geisha, most people first think of that cup of floral tea with rose aromas and citrus notes from Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama. However, in the Bench Maji region of Ethiopia, there hides another estate famous for its native wild Geisha — Gesha Village. It was founded in 2011 by documentary filmmaker Adam Overton and his photographer wife Rachel Samuel, and boasts a strict grading system and a complete flavor traceability system. This article will take you deep into the discovery journey of Gesha Village, the grading standards for the Auction/ Gold/ Red/ Green/ Chaka lots, processing details, and block divisions, along with Front Street Coffee's brewing parameters and flavor descriptions for the Gold, Red, and Chaka lots, providing coffee lovers with a comprehensive guide to Gesha Village. [more…]

The price of Geisha coffee often makes people shy away, with rumors of it costing thousands or even tens of thousands being heard incessantly, but what is the real market situation? From the perspective of Front Street, this article systematically sorts out the underlying logic behind the high price of Geisha, including the difficulty of cultivating the variety, yield limitations, and market supply and demand relationships. At the same time, it deeply analyzes the evolution of the grading system at Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda—what are the differences between auction, red label, and green label, where does the illusion of high prices for red label come from, and the linkage effect between auction prices and ordinary Geisha. Whether you are a beginner just getting into specialty coffee or a seasoned enthusiast focused on the green bean market, you can gain a clear cognitive framework from it. [more…]

Geisha is widely recognized as a top-tier coffee variety, sweeping the globe from Ethiopia's pristine forests to the auction stage of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, captivating the world with its delicate floral aroma and elegant fruit acidity. But why does the price of Geisha coffee remain so high? And how do different estates classify their grades? This article will guide you through Geisha's history of spread, its stringent growing environment requirements, and break down the grading standards and flavor profiles of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda (Auction, Red Label, Green Label) and Ethiopia's Gesha Village (Auction, Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, Chaka) one by one, while also sharing Front Street Coffee's bean selection advice and cupping experience. [more…]

Recently, the Panama BOP (Best of Panama) green bean auction, hailed as a grand event in the coffee world, has successfully concluded. In this year's auction, Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha once again rewrote the historical transaction record: the washed group was purchased by Dubai's Julith Coffee for a staggering $30,204 per kilogram, setting a new global record for the highest unit price in coffee auctions. What excited the domestic coffee community even more was that the top lot in the natural group was won by JD.com for approximately 3.4 million RMB, with 20 kilograms of green beans going through 2,676 intense bids. JD.com subsequently announced that this batch of Geisha will be roasted and processed for exclusive sale on JD Supermarket, accompanied by activities such as a "spend 5,000, save 4,990" coupon and 9.9 yuan tasting slots, giving ordinary consumers a chance to experience top-tier specialty coffee. Front Street Coffee will also continue to follow the subsequent developments after this top lot arrives in port. [more…]

In recent years, the landscape of specialty coffee has quietly shifted. The top spot once firmly held by Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona is now being challenged by a coffee bean from Panama—Geisha. It originated in the wild forests of Ethiopia, traveled through Kenya, Uganda, and Costa Rica, and finally shone brightly at the Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama. Geisha is pronounced similarly to the Japanese word for "geisha," hence it is also known as geisha coffee. Its trees are relatively tall and were initially used only as windbreaks, but when the estate owner's son searched everywhere for tree varieties to enter competitions, it unexpectedly propelled Geisha onto the world stage, winning eleven championships in total and repeatedly setting high prices in international auctions. Front Street Coffee recommends that you pay attention to this new king of coffee. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of Geisha's varietal origins, estate history, and flavor characteristics, taking you through why it is more expensive than Blue Mountain. [more…]

In the world of coffee, Geisha is undoubtedly a shining name. Most people first think of the Geisha from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda, which after being identified for its unique flavor in 2003, went on to win numerous green bean competitions such as the BOP. However, in Ethiopia's Bench Maji region, there is also a village likewise named Geisha, where the Geisha grown is entirely different from Panama Geisha, yet equally stunning. Front Street Coffee will take you into Gesha Village Coffee Estate, from its discovery history and estate overview, to the grading system of Gold Label, Red Label, Green Label, and Chaka batches, and then to processing methods and block divisions, comprehensively unraveling the coffee secrets of this legendary estate. Whether you want to understand the flavor differences between Gesha Village Gold Label and Red Label, or are curious about the blending charm of the Chaka batches, this article will reveal them all for you one by one. [more…]