12 Facts About Panama (home of Panama Geisha coffee beans)

If you know your gourmet coffee, you’ll also know that Panama produces some of the most outstanding specialty coffee in the world. Particularly Panama geisha coffee beans (also known as Gesha coffee), which has recently become not only one of the most exclusive arabica coffees in the world, but also one of the most expensive. Nevertheless, take home a bag of the very best Panama geisha coffee beans for yourself and you’ll soon know exactly what all the fuss is about!

But aside from producing truly remarkable Panama geisha coffee beans, Panama also has more than its fair share of additional claims to fame. So to help you get to know this extraordinary country a little better, here’s a quick rundown of 12 interesting facts about Panama besides being the home of Gesha coffee, the best coffee beans in the world :

1. First up, not many people know that Panama is home to the only place in the world where it’s possible to watch the sun rise on the Pacific and set on the Atlantic, without moving from the spot. At its narrowest point, Panama separates the Pacific from the Atlantic by just 80 kilometres.
2. Panama in general is famed for its incredible natural beauty and rich natural assets. In fact, Panama City is the only capital city in the world that is also home to a rainforest.
3. Due to its turbulent past, Panama now celebrates two independence days every year. One to celebrate the country’s liberation from Colombia in 1903, the other its freedom from Spain as of 1821.
4. Panama has an extremely compact population for its size of approximately 3.6 million people. Of which more than 1.5 million live in the capital.
5. The official currency of Panama is the United States dollar. Panama has become the first country in Latin America to adopt the US dollar as its own official currency.
6. The Panama Canal is considered to be one of the seven modern World Wonders and was constructed by a group of American army engineers from 1904 to 1914.
7. Biodiversity across Panama is truly extraordinary. The country is home to more than 1500 different types of trees, 678 ferns and an incredible 1400 different species of orchids.
8. There are also more than 976 bird species that are native to Panama – considerably more than Canada and the United States combined.
9. Panama imposes a relatively high tolls and duties on ships passing through the Panama Canal, in accordance with their size, type and the cargo they carry. Back in 2010, the Norwegian Pearlcruise ship faced a record toll of $376,000.
10. Panama geisha coffee beans are so revered and celebrated that they have become a staple menu item on the vast majority of global coffee shop chains and speciality coffee shops worldwide.
11. While the country itself may be relatively small, Panama boasts a pretty incredible 1500 miles of shoreline. Not to mention, some of the most stunning beaches on the face of the earth.
12. Last up, contrary to the impression the name may give, the famous Panama Hat actually originated in Ecuador.

And there you have it – just a few interesting factoids to consider, next time you dive headfirst into a premium cup of Panama geisha coffee beans!

Panama Geisha coffee beans (also spelled Gesha coffee) is available at Hayman’s online store as unroasted coffee beans (i.e. raw coffee beans for home roasting), roasted whole bean coffee, roasted ground coffee, Nespresso compatible pods *, and coffee pods compatible with Keurig K Cup coffee makers (incl. Keurig 2.0 models)**. All our coffee is fresh roasted coffee, shipped to you within hours for maximum freshness. Visit Hayman now and order the best & freshest third wave coffee, we offer free worldwide shipping!

* Nespresso® is a registered trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A., unrelated to Hayman®. Our espresso pods are not created or sold by Nespresso®.

** Keurig and K-Cup are registered trademarks of Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. unrelated to Hayman®. Our pods are not created or sold by Keurig®.