Three lots from a tiny harvest
In July, Finca Sophia released its entire 2026 harvest through a single private auction. We came away with three lots. This is what happened.
The entire 2026 harvest was 151 kilograms, and we hold three lots of it.
This year the farm entered the low point of its recurring production cycle. The whole harvest came to 151 kilograms, divided into 44 nano lots, and nearly 80 percent of them weighed less than 5 kilograms. With so little coffee, the farm skipped Best of Panama and released everything through one private auction.
I was supposed to be on vacation when it began. I started bidding shortly after I woke up and stayed with it until late that night. Mazelab Origin secured three lots, and three other brands trusted me to bid on their behalf, so one more lot travelled out through us. The story is on Instagram.
What arrived in the box
The lots arrived documented like a small archive. Each one comes with A Record of Release, a certificate of authenticity signed by Willem Boot, Helen Russell and David Pohl, and the box holds a release book with photographs and data for every lot of the harvest. Our lots are Essence Natural 1 and Heritage Honey 1, Geisha packed in bags from 0.20 to 1 kilogram. The release book describes Essence Natural 1 with watermelon, guava, dried cherry and chocolate, bright acidity, a lingering note of licorice, and a cupping score of 91.
A farm at 2,130 meters
Finca Sophia sits near Volcán, among the highest coffee farms in Panama. It was founded in 2008 as an experiment in how high Geisha can grow, and it is guided by Willem Boot, David Pohl and Kelly Hartmann. At that altitude every harvest depends heavily on the season. That is exactly why a year like this one produces so little, and why what it does produce is so precious.
I started bidding shortly after I woke up and stayed with it until late that night.
Our responsibility now is to roast each lot with care and represent the work behind it as faithfully as we can. The coffees rest, then go on the roaster in small batches. If you roast at home, keep an eye on our green coffee collection, and for the field side of this work, follow Mazelab Origin on Instagram.
Questions about the lots? Write to us at jackie@mazelab.coffee.