Geisha coffees from Acacia Hills Coffee have taken the top two places in the first-ever Ngorongoro Tanzania Private Collection Auction.

Held by Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) in partnership with the Ngorongoro Coffee Group, the 27 winning coffees from the auction represent five farms, six processesm and 11 varieties.

The first-place winner, a Peaberry grade, earned the only Presidential Award with a score of 90.31. Acacia Hills Coffee Estate, which took six of the top 10 spots, has the highest altitude farm in the region, reaching 6500 feet. The third-place winner was an AA washed Kent from Ngila Estate, located on the edge of a cloud forest of the northern highlands next to the Ngorongoro Crater.

The Ngorongoro Coffee Group is the originator of the annual Cupping at the Crater event. Formed by coffee farms surrounding the Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania, the association’s goal is to advance the promotion, qualitym and awareness of coffee in the surrounding area which represents one of the highest altitude coffee growing regions in East Africa.

Known as one of the wildest coffee experiences in the world, Cupping at the Crater is an event held on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater bordering the wildlife conservation area. Every year, coffee professionals gather in Tanzania for a tasting of all Ngorongoro members’ coffee, organised early in the season to allow farms instant feedback on production and process. Buyers who attend the cupping are offered first options to purchase the current season’s coffee. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 event was canceled and replaced with an ACE Private Collection Auction.

The competition had 38 coffees passing to the International stage, which represented eight companies from around the world.

Limited quantities of samples are available now. Lot sizes range from two to 660 kilograms. Opening prices start at US$4.50. The auction will take place on 2 February 2021.

For more information, visit www.allianceforcoffeeexcellence.org/2021-tanzania-ngorongoro-pca