When you taste an extraordinary coffee, it rarely arrives by accident. Behind every exceptional cup is a chain of considered decisions - about variety, process, altitude, soil and often the journey to find it. Last month, Brand Ambassador Gab Tan and Head of Coffee, Jack Allisey made that journey, travelling to the Chiriqui Highlands of Panama to find something extraordinary.
The trip had two clear objectives. Firstly, to source new lots for the Pinnacle Reserve Series - our platform for showcasing the rarest and most compelling coffees we can find. Secondly, to lock in the competition lots that will carry Gab's name onto the world stage at the World Barista Championship this October. The numbers below give you a sense of the scale of work involved.
- 19 farms visited
- 361 coffees cupped
- 3 competition lots secured
- 10 Pinnacle Reserve lots secured
Why Panama?
Panama occupies a relatively small footprint in global coffee production, but its reputation punches well above its weight in class. The Chiriqui Highlands and particularly the Volcan and Boquete regions, nestled beneath Volcan Baru produce some of the most sought after coffees in the world. The combination of high altitude, mineral rich volcanic soil, and the distinctive microclimate creates the perfect conditions that favour those unmistakable floral characteristics that Gesha - Panama's most celebrated variety is known for.
For Gab and Jack, Panama was a logical coffee origin destination. After Gab won the Australian Barista Championship earlier this year with a 48 hour anaerobic natural from Janson Estate in Volcan - the region had already shown its potential. This trip though was about going much deeper. Meeting producers, cupping lots that could perform at the highest level both on our retail shelves and online but also on the World Barista Championship stage.
In the Cup: What They Were Looking For
Origin trips aren't a holiday. Nineteen farms. Three hundred and sixty one coffees cupped. The days are long, the tables are full, and the margin for error is low - especially when the World Championships are on the line. For Jack, the criteria for securing Pinnacle Reserve lots are to find coffees with a distinctive and unique flavour profile. For Gab, the additional requirement was whether the coffee could help support his routine and hold up under the pressure and precision of championship level brewing.
What emerged from the trip was a selection of lots that satisfied both sets of criteria. Coffees that showcased what Panamian producers are achieving right now from classically expressive Geshas to experimental processing methods that push the cup profile into exciting new territories.
Competition Coffee: Building towards the World Stage
For Gab, the stakes couldn't be higher. As Australia's reigning Barista Champion, he'll represent the country at the World Barista Championship this October; the most prestigious competition in specialty coffee. The coffee he selects for his routine will need to perform flawlessly in front of an international panel of judges, communicate origin clearly and compellingly, and ultimately serve as the centrepiece of a fifteen-minute presentation that tells a complete story.
Panama's coffees are suited to that brief. Their clarity of flavour, their distinctive processing notes, and the natural storytelling gravity of the Chiriquí Highlands give Gab genuine material to work with. The lots identified on this trip are currently being evaluated through rigorous preparation and development trials. This is the beginning of a process that will shape every detail of his WBC routine.
We'll share more on Gab's competition preparation as October draws closer. For now, know that the sourcing foundation is strong.
Pinnacle Reserve Series: Coming Soon
Ten Pinnacle Reserve lots were secured on this trip. These will be released over the coming months in small quantities — often once only — and they will sell quickly. If you want to taste what brought Gab and Jack to nineteen farms across the Chiriquí Highlands, the best way to stay ahead is to get on our VIP list and be notified the moment each lot lands.
Sign up to the VIP mailing list to be first to know when new lots drop.
The Bigger Picture
There's a version of sourcing that happens at a desk — through reports, auction lots, and sample bags. We do some of that too. But there's a different quality of knowledge that only comes from standing in a place, meeting the people doing the work, and tasting coffees in the context of where they were grown. That's what Gab and Jack brought back from Panama: not just exceptional lots, but a grounded understanding of what makes them exceptional.
That understanding is what flows into everything we do — the way we roast, the way we write about a coffee, the way Gab talks about it on the competition stage. Origin trips aren't incidental to what we do at Veneziano. They're central to it.
Stay tuned as the Panama lots move toward release — and as Gab's World Barista Championship campaign begins to take shape.