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.”
“I’ve had the privilege of being on a Cup of Excellence jury in a handful of other countries. However, this was my first time serving on the jury in Costa Rica. I was impressed with how consistently top notch the coffees were. It’s unprecedented to have eleven coffees emerge as 90+ “presidentials” at a COE competition. But, the coffees were just THAT good. Costa Rica is known for their honey processed coffees, so, it’s fitting that my favorite coffee was the number one coffee in the honeys and naturals category. The geisha from Don Cayito stood out to the entire jury as we collectively scored it a 93.62–one of the highest average scores I’ve ever come across at the COE competitions— an unbelievably sweet and floral coffee with vibrant and juicy acidity, a velvety mouthfeel and flavors of caramel, red apple, mango and browned butter. This coffee incorporated the best elements of traditional Costa Rican
processing and terroir and combined it with the best of what the Geisha variety is known for. This is certainly the best coffee I’ve tasted this year and one of my top coffee experiences of all time—such a treat!” Tim Taylor, Pedestrian Coffee, International Jury.
“After having been in the International Jury in Costa Rica 3 times before I was excited to serve as head judge in Cup of Excellence 2024. It was a privilege to work with top calibrated and solid juries both in the national week and in the international week. The quality of the coffee lots in the competition exceeded all expectations. The new format with 3 categories helped the jury focus on both nature of the coffee and details related to the process. 11 coffees with 90+ point presidential scores are an impressive statement for the quality in Costa Rica and probably also a result of the jury ́s focused evaluation process. It is hard to define a favorite but the work at Finca Voo for the Experimental category is quite impressive. Their Catuai coffee lot could take first place in front of Geisha and San Roque varietals. Throughout the competition stages, I enjoyed the coffee - a fruity cocktail of Nectarine, Melon and Orange with a nice contrast notes of Hobs. A sweet, complex and powerful coffee.” Soren Sylvest, SylvestCoffee, Head Judge.
