Hawai‘i Coffee Association Names Cupping Competition Winners

The Hawai‘i Coffee Association (HCA) hosted its first virtual conference on June 24 and 25.

The industry’s statewide nonprofit organization indefinitely delayed its 25th annual conference and statewide cupping competition in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. The 12th cupping competition was done remotely with winners of the cupping competition announced at the culmination of Friday’s conference. A total of 70 entries were judged in HCA’s inaugural remote cupping event.

• Click here for the complete results of the cupping competition.
• Click here to watch videos of conference presentations.

The top-scoring coffee was produced by Olinda Organic Coffee of Maui with a washed red Catuai variety receiving a score of 86.63. Awards were also presented to the top coffees produced in Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture-recognized growing regions located throughout the islands, and to the top 10 highest scoring coffees.

The highest scoring entries from participating growing districts were Hula Daddy Kona Coffee’s washed SL34 variety and the Ka‘ū District’s Miranda Farms with a natural red Catuai variety. Each of these coffees earned a tying score of 86.60.

Top honors in the Hawai‘i District was earned by Waimea Coffee Farm with a washed Guatemala Typica/Jamaican Blue Mountain hybrid earning 84.50. Sakoman Farm placed first in the Hāmākua District with a washed Caturra variety posting 81.38 and Waialua Estate Coffee was the sole O‘ahu entry with a washed Typica earning 81.00.

“This year’s competition showcased a wide selection of varieties and processing methods with the highest scores we have seen in this competition yet,” noted Brittany Horn, HCA cupping committee chair. “Complex and unique entries from across the state are represented in the top-scoring coffees and we also saw the tightest scores, making 2021 a very competitive competition for growers.”

Kona-based Pacific Coffee Research organized the competition utilizing a judging panel comprised of local licensed Q graders led Horn and Madeleine Longoria Garcia, co-owners of PCR. Horn is an authorized Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) trainer in coffee sensory analysis, green coffee and sustainability. Longoria Garcia, who served as head judge for the HCA cupping, competed in the US National Brewers Cup and educates local baristas and producers as a sensory specialist.

To process cupping remotely, entries were cupped in three elimination rounds. Coffees advancing into the second and third rounds were organized into five “tables” or groups and shipped to cuppers for analysis in their own cupping labs. Judging at each location was performed simultaneously with deliberations among cuppers conducted via Zoom. Final scores for winning coffees were determined by the average scores from the semi-final and final rounds.

“Nothing beats evaluating coffee together in the same space, but utilizing video conference and screen sharing technology allowed the panel to effectively deliberate and communicate our scores and notes with each other,” stated one of the judges Marc Marquez regarding the virtual competition.

The panel employed the standard Specialty Coffee Association’s cupping methodology and scoring format. Coffee cupping is a combination of art and science where coffees are evaluated and scored based on a variety of subtle characteristics: flavor, aroma, acidity, aftertaste, body, balance, overall cup experience, presence of sweetness, lack of defect and uniformity.

“This year’s entries were incredible as this competition represents the collective efforts of our local producers, scientists, researchers and professionals who continue to elevate the quality of coffee grown here in the State of Hawaii,” added Marquez. “Our coffee community should be very proud.”

The virtual conference featured urgent topics relating to COVID relief and the response to the introduction of Coffee Leaf Rust in Hawai‘i. Additionally, HCA has made significant strides in serving its members in the virtual space. To that end, the organization has initiated semi-weekly, multi-agency conference calls on Coffee Leaf Rust among HDOA, USDA, APHIS, UH CTAHR, HARC, state and federal lawmakers, international partners, industry leaders and other stakeholders.

“We have a duty and an important role in responding to these multilayered crises,” said HCA president Chris Manfredi in his opening remarks at the conference. “Our response is timely, well-planned, coordinated and efficient. Our members are positioned throughout the supply chain, including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, coffee shops and the many businesses and organizations that supply and support the industry.”

The virtual platform, Manfredi noted, has allowed people in the industry to connect with attendees in El Salvador, Africa, Ukraine, China, the US mainland and Hawaii.

Keynote speaker Emilio Lopez is a seventh-generation coffee farmer and the managing director of Odyssey Coffees, an agro-industrial organization based in El Salvador. He shared his experience in a segment titled “Living with Coffee Leaf Rust” and stressed the importance of tree health and pruning techniques.

The conference schedule also included updates from HDOA, USDA PBARC, and UH CTAHR, plus the election of a new Board of Directors; typically an annual event, but deferred in 2020 due to the pandemic.