Earlier this month, the 2024 Guatemalan Cup of Excellence (CoE) competition joined forces with the fourth edition of the One of A Kind coffee auction, resulting in “an awards ceremony full of surprises” according to its organisers.
The joint competition attracted samples from every region in the country and saw a huge diversity of coffees and farmers represented, with many female producers and smaller farms making it onto the awards stage.
“For this harvest, I aimed to reach out the volume necessary to participate,” says Israel Marroquín from El Ciprés, one of the winners in the One of A Kind category.
“At first it seemed unattainable and distant, but now that I’ve secured eighth place, it seems achievable.”
Instead of the different processes being grouped, like in other 2024 COE competitions, the traditional and nontraditional varieties were scored on separate tables.
Traditional varieties such as Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Typica, Pache, Sarchimore, and Catimor were classified as One of a Kind regardless of processing, while the nontraditional varieties were divided up between fully washed exotics and exotics processed utilising either honey or natural process.
Unique coffees were present in each of the three categories, with some of the international jurors surprised at how the traditional varieties were now pushing the flavour boundaries of the typical and well-loved Bourbons and Caturras, while remaining distinctively Guatemalan.
In addition, the nontraditional exotics such as Geisha and Pacamaras also attracted praise.
“We are very excited to be part of the Cup of Excellence because it allows us to share the news that Guatemala produces some of the best coffee in the world,” says Leonardo René Pérez Hidalgo from La Reforma y Anexos, who won first place in the exotic washed category.
During the awards ceremony, President of the National Coffee Association of Guatemala (Anacafé) José Tulio González praised Guatemalan farmers’ effort in producing high-quality coffees.
“The commitment of Guatemalan producers to pursue the path of excellence and innovation is without a doubt, our strongest argument for Anacafé ‘s commitment to supporting these programs.”
