December 2024

Petros Korakianitis, originally from Corfu, is now celebrated as the top barista in Panama. A barista is a skilled coffee maker who prepares and serves coffee in an artistic way. Petros, a Greek immigrant who moved to Latin America in 2015, proudly represented Panama at a recent competition in South Korea in 2024. He impressed the judges by expertly blending two coffees from different Panamanian farms.

For this competition, he used two types of Gesha coffee. One variety comes from the Boquete region, roasted just 11 days before the event, and has flavors of orange blossom, mandarin, green grape, and a grapefruit finish. The other variety is served at 55 degrees Celsius and features tastes of passion fruit, peach yogurt, and vanilla ice cream. When combined, these coffees create a syrupy blend with notes of bergamot, cinnamon, and ginger beer.

Petros has been in the coffee industry since 2014, and over the years, he has developed a deep passion for his craft. He is currently the head barista at Tono’s Cafe Bakery, a popular destination for coffee enthusiasts in Panama. This cafe is highly regarded not only by its customers but also by the farms that supply the coffee it serves.