Praise Abounds for Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence® Winners
Costa Rica (June 18, 2024) Images of rain forests, pristine beaches and environmental protection all took second place to the outstanding quality of the coffees on the Cup of Excellence tables. The final judging by the international jury resulted in a whopping 93.62 top score with a record breaking 11 coffees garnering over 90 points. “Life happens, coffee helps. But a Cup of Excellence coffee from Costa Rica? It’s like having a superhero in your cup!”, exclaimed an excited Noelia Villalobos, Executive Director, Specialty Coffee Association of Costa Rica.
Allowing distinct categories has proven to be a game changer for the country where it has been a decade since anaerobic fermentation was novel to the competition and won. “The coffees were outstanding and the categorization really helped us understand more of their flavor profiles. It made the cuppings more complex and supported farmers in choosing which of their best coffees to enter.” explained Dylan Aguilera, Aguilera Brothers, a member of the Costa Rica national jury that scored the first 3 rounds.
Each country determines its scoring categories based on where innovation is occurring in the country. In Costa Rice three separate categories were chosen. Traditional washed coffees that have been popular for decades, semi washed, honeys and naturally processed coffees with more complex flavor profiles and the new experimental category which invites producers to push the boundaries, thus offering a unique sensory experience.
Jurors often remarked that the washed coffees presented bright acidity, floral aroma and were loaded with fruity notes. The honey and naturals were often described with silky body, ample mixtures of tropical and dried fruits and leaned towards caramelized sugars. Cooling created even more complexity. The experimental coffees showcased assortments of berries with well-balanced acidity, a long after taste, vanilla notes, brown sugar and caramel.
Costa Rica’s attention to land and water use has always made it a top specialty coffee producer. The micro mills experimenting with honey and natural processing have long led the industry in the creation of distinctive coffees that roasters have cherished. This category proved to be the most competitive of the three categories and saw all 16 CoE winners scoring over 88 points.” added Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of The Cup of Excellence. “Categorization also allowed a lower altitude producer from Turrialba to showcase his coffee and receive a national winning score of 87 in this highly competitive honey-natural category, thus opening the door for huge opportunities for farmers in lesser known regions.”
These 30 rare Cup of Excellence winners will be available to purchase on July 25th when bidding begins. The 10 national winners ranging in scores from 86.62 to 88.15 and all honey- naturals will be sold between July 22nd -26th. The highly sought-after sample boxes are limited. High quality roasters should order before June 26th. Log on to allianceforcoffeeexcellence.
About Cup of Excellence and The Alliance For Coffee Excellence
The Cup of Excellence is a 501c3 non- profit organization that owns and manages an annual multi- level competition in coffee producing countries. Since 1999 it has discovered remarkable coffees, unknown micro regions and brought international fame to individual farmers. It has advanced hand-crafted single farm specialty coffees and assured transparency back to the farmers. Its educational programs, focusing on the aspects of top-quality coffees, have been taught world-wide. Over its 25-year history it has held competitions in 16 coffee producing nations.
The Alliance For Coffee Excellence is a non-profit global membership organization dedicated to advancing excellence in coffee through the marketplace. With members and supporters from over 50 countries it is unmatched in its efforts to bring roaster access to top quality winning coffees though its auctions and to ensure farmers receive these premiums. Its largest impact has been a unique design that builds a bridge between high quality buyers and high quality
farmers resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for farmers and greater financial success for roasters whose customers demand the best.
