Cup of Excellence (CoE) and Comisión Nacional para la Transformación y Desarrollo de la Caficultura (CONATRADEC) have announced the 26 Cup of Excellence and 11 National Winner coffees from the 2022 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence competition.
The CoE winning coffees represent 11 varieties, four processes and one Presidential Award. The top three coffees, which won the Comandante Top Farm trophy grinder, are all natural processes.
Producer Mario José González Rodríguez from El Avión won first-place for his Catuai Rojo coffee, scoring 90.74 points.
“I want to thank God first of all. The result of perseverance is summoned by this outstanding achievement. I also want to thank all the team on the farm that was part of this and helped us achieve today’s triumph,” says Mario José González Rodríguez.
Producer Ivasa from finca Buenos Aires, won second place with a Maracaturra coffee, scoring 89.65 points. Producer Luis Alberto Balladarez Moncada from finca Un Regalo De Dios won third place with a Maracaturra coffee, scoring 89.53 points.
“I really enjoyed cupping the best Nicaraguan coffees this year. Nicaragua, well known for its beautiful Maracaturras and Javas, didn’t disappoint this time. It was amazing to have a deeper insight into the coffees that prestigious regions have to offer,” says Head Judge Eduardo Ambrocio.
“Cupping other processes than washed was delightful to me as well, amazing naturals showing cleanness, complexity, and consistency over time. It is a big surprise to me that the best coffee is a traditional Catuai designed by a well-done natural process. Positioning it over complex varieties proves the vast improvement and evolution that the producers have gained in terms of processing,” says Ambrocio.
Ambrocio led a Global Coffee Center team and nine national jurists to evaluate the 26 winning lots, which will be auctioned online on 4 August, 2022.
The National Winner auction that includes 11 lots will run from 25 July to 5 August. ACE offers sample sets of the winning coffees until 14 July to purchase before the auctions. Interested parties must join ACE as a member to register for samples and auctions.
For more information about the winning coffees and auction details, visit: https://allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/nicaragua-2022/