The New Zealand Specialty Coffee Association (NZSCA) has announced the Aotearoa Cup Tasters Championship 2024 will take place from 3 to 4 August in Ponsonby Central, Auckland.
The tasting competition challenges participants to identify differences in coffee by testing their palate, speed, and sensory skills. Over the course of the day, the event will bring together competitors who will participate in a series of triangulation tests.
Prior to the competition a list of 12 to 15 coffees will be published in which nine will be chosen to be part of the cupping assessments. Each competitor will then have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the coffees while the exact triangulations will remain undisclosed.
As part of each round, the positions of the triangulations will change to assess the competitors’ sense of taste as well as accuracy and speed. The person to get the most triangulations correct in the shortest time will be crowned the winner and will go on to represent Aotearoa in Geneva, Switzerland, at the World Cup Tasters Championship in June 2025.
This year the competition will be sponsored by green-bean importer John Burton Ltd, which will source and provide the coffees for the competition. A full list of sponsors and their respective categories can be found on the NZSCA website.
In addition, the Aotearoa Latte Art Championship will take place on 3 August in Auckland. The competition will consist of a preliminary round and a final round. After the first round, the top six contenders will compete to determine the winner. The latte artist with the highest score will become the Aotearoa Latte Art Champion 2024.
According to NZSCA, the two events attract coffee enthusiasts and professionals from across New Zealand, who come together to celebrate and discuss the art and science of coffee.
Tickets for the Aotearoa Cup Tasters Championship are currently sold out. A waiting list for the next round of tickets is available here.
For more information on the two events, click here.
