Pablo Andrés Guerrero of Obraje farm in the Nariño region has won the 2021 Colombia Cup of Excellence with a Washed Geisha scoring 90.61 points. Pablo is the only finalist representing the Nariño region.

“This year I was stricter with both the selection of the cherries and control of the fermentation time to get the profile I desired,” says Pablo, who placed eighth in last year’s competition.

Anibal Celestino Sanchez Burbano of La Siria in the Huila region war runner-up with a Wasjed Geisha scoring 90.07 points and Nancy Liliana Maca Pinilla of El Zafiro in Cauca placed third with a Natural Castillo scoring 89.46 points.

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence and Asociación Colombiana para la Excelencia del Café (ASECC) announced 23 Cup of Excellence winning coffees from this year’s competition, the first Cup of Excellence competition of 2021.

These winning coffees, hailing from seven regions, represent the best of Colombia and showcase a wide range of distinction in quality, variety, and process. Female producers represented 26 per cent of the winners.

The two top scoring coffees – both washed Geishas – earned Presidential Awards which are given to coffees with scores of more than 90 points.

There were 35 coffees that passed to the International stage of the competition held at Global Coffee Centers (GCCs) in Japan, South Korea, USA, Denmark, Taiwan, and Germany. The winners were announced during a virtual awards ceremony held on 9 April.

Sample sets containing 200 grams of each of the 23 winning lots are now available to roast and cup before the auction on 20 May. This year’s opening prices start at US$5 per pound for coffees scored 87-87.99 points, US$6 per pound for coffees scored 88-88.99 points, and US$6.50 per pound for coffees scored 90 points and above.

For more information, visit allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/colombia-2021