Elida Estate Geisha Natural ASD is the most extreme expression of one of the most decorated coffees on Earth — an anaerobic slow-dry Panama Geisha grown by the Lamastus Family on Elida Estate, the highest coffee farm in Panama. Elida Estate Geisha has sold for as much as $13,518 per kilogram at private auction, the highest price ever recorded for coffee, and earned a near-perfect 98 points on CoffeeReview.com — the first time that score had ever been awarded. This 120g lot brings that legendary terroir within reach, in its wildest, most concentrated form. What Is the ASD (Anaerobic Slow Dry) Process? ASD stands for Anaerobic Slow Dry — a processing method the Lamastus Family pioneered at Elida Estate, borrowing fermentation science from winemaking. It is not a marketing label. It is two deliberate, difficult steps stacked on top of each other. Step one — anaerobic fermentation. The freshly picked cherries are sealed inside airtight stainless-steel tanks fitted with one-way valves that let carbon dioxide escape but never let oxygen back in. Without oxygen, the yeasts and bacteria that normally drive fermentation are shut out, and a much narrower, more selective microbial population takes over. That controlled environment develops aromatic compounds a conventional open-air ferment simply cannot produce. Depending on the lot, the cherries stay sealed for roughly five to seven days — where a standard natural gets a fraction of that. Step two — the slow dry. A conventional natural coffee dries in 10 to 15 days. An ASD lot is laid in a thick bed on raised beds and dried gently for up to five weeks — 40 days or more. Drying that slowly, at low temperature, lets the sugars and aromatics from the fruit keep migrating into the seed instead of being locked off early by fast heat. It is far riskier than it sounds: every extra day on the bed is another day the lot can be lost to over-fermentation or rain. The payoff is a cup with the fruit intensity turned all the way up — candied, syrupy, and layered — while staying clean and defined rather than boozy or muddled. It is the reason Elida's ASD lots have rewritten Best of Panama records and auction prices alike. An ASD Geisha From Panama's Most Awarded Estate Grown between 1,700 and 1,950 meters above sea level in Alto Quiel, Boquete, Elida Estate sits partially inside the Volcán Barú National Park — a protected cloud-forest reserve where more than half the farm is preserved as virgin rainforest. The cool, misty, high-altitude microclimate slows cherry maturation dramatically, concentrating the sugars and aromatic compounds that make this Geisha extraordinary — and giving the ASD process the raw material it needs. Tasting Notes Expect an explosion of tropical fruit over a deep floral bouquet: papaya, pineapple, guava, and ripe mango, with candied cherry and black raspberry, vanilla sweetness, and a whisper of milk chocolate underneath. Powerful yet clean and refined, with a syrupy body and an exceptionally long, perfumed finish. Tasting notes: Papaya, pineapple, guava, candied cherry, vanilla, jasmine Region: Alto Quiel, Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama Altitude: 1,700–1,950 m.a.s.l. Varietal: Geisha (Arabica) Process: Natural ASD — anaerobic fermentation, then slow-dried up to 5 weeks Roast: Medium | Format: Whole bean Weight: 120g The Lamastus Family Legacy The Lamastus Family has grown coffee in Boquete since 1918, now in its fourth generation. They are the most decorated producers in Best of Panama history — seven-time first-place winners and four-time Panama Cup champions, recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama as the country's most consistent producer. Elida Estate Geisha has been featured in Robb Report, Bloomberg, BBC, CNN, and Forbes as one of the world's most prestigious coffees. How to Brew Elida Geisha Natural ASD To honor a coffee this rare, brew it black as pour-over. Use filtered water at 200°F (93°C), a medium-fine grind, and a 1:16 ratio (e.g., 15g coffee to 240g