An Anaerobic Low Temperature processed Ethiosar varietal from Los Placeres Farm has won first place in the recently revived Nicaraguan Los Favoritos Private Collection Auction.
Fifteen winning coffees made it through to the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Fincas Mierisch-hosted auction, with 11 scoring 88 points or more and representing six farms and five processes.
“The Ethiosar taking the highest score was definitely a pleasant surprise. We never would have expected that, and for it to have been processed using one of our new controlled fermentation techniques is equally fulfilling. This is the first time we’ve included this variety in any sort of auction, and it’s quite a rare variety to see in these types of circuits,” says Fincas Mierisch General Manager and Cup of Excellence Head Judge, Eleane Mierisch.
ACE’s Global Coffee Center judges described the winner as having flavours of red grapes, blackberry, chocolate, and rum with a creamy body and juicy aftertaste.
“I was impressed overall with the consistency of the cupping experiences, both in terms of temperature changes through a single cupping and comparing separate cuppings. This kind of consistency is a testament to the quality of these coffees, which also showed up when judges from around the world described their experiences similarly. These top coffees sampled for the auction would impress anyone with their uniqueness, clarity, and their sweet, well-structured character,” says Los Favoritos Head Judge Scott Conary.
“The coffees brought so many “a-ha” moments, that it would be hard to not say them out loud; and for once I was glad to be cupping alone, so that I could vocalize these wonderfully surprising moments.”
The Ethiosar variety – also represented in the sixth-place winner – is a hybrid of the Ethiopian varietal Rume Sudan and Sarchimor, whose offspring is then re-crossed with a Villa Sarchi. Prized for its productivity, disease resistance, and cup quality, it also performs well grown at lower elevation.
“The fact that it comes from one of our farms that does not have the highest altitude will also be surprising to many. But we see it as a testament that high quality coffee can be produced even in normal/average altitudes. Los Placeres, where the Ethiosar was grown, is a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm which means that this high scoring Ethiosar was farmed using agricultural practices that are in line with maintaining a healthy environment. We are extremely happy with the results and how the coffees performed. We’re glad that all our post-harvest processing techniques made the final selection,” says Erwin Mierisch, who helps with farm and lab logistics.
The Los Favoritos winners offer buyers an opportunity to try various varieties and distinct processing techniques from the same country and producer. Sample sets of the winning lots are available for purchase which includes free auction registration.
Opening prices start at US$7.00 per pound for coffees scored 87.5 – 87.99 points and US$8.00 per pound for coffees scored 88 points and above.
The auction will take place on 18 May.
For more information, visit www.allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/los-favoritos-2021-pca-auction