Here are the winners, of the 2024 Cup of Excellence in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras.
The Santa Bárbara department in Honduras is celebrating. For the second time, young producer Benjamín Paz has won first place in the Cup of Excellence in that country, the first time being in 2022. The coffee grown at La Salsa farm, a washed Geisha, was described by judges as having flavors of caramel, chocolate, and orange, with a floral fragrance, a hint of spices, and a round, juicy body, earning a score of 91.21.
When his name was announced, the young producer couldn’t believe it. His fellow producers lifted him on, their shoulders while “We Are the Champions” played in the background. Paz is the producer who holds the record for the best-selling coffee. In 2022, he managed to auction it for 134 dollars per pound.
The second place went to producer Alma Aydee Pineda from Finca EL Mango, Las Vegas, Santa Bárbara, who scored 90.82 with a coffee grown at 1650 meters above sea level, SL28 variety, washed process. The third place was won by Joaquina Montoya from Finca Los Pinos located in Masaguara, Intibucá, with a Geisha variety coffee, washed process, which scored 90.71 points.
Out of the 29 producers selected at this stage, Santa Bárbara emerged as the most awarded department. Regarding the preparation method, the washed process dominated with 55%, while the natural and honey processes accounted for the remaining 45%.
The 20th edition of the Cup of Excellence in Honduras took place on May 30 in Siguantepeque and, was preceded by the First Forum of Women and Youth in Coffee Farming, where Benjamín Paz participated as a speaker, sharing from his experience the challenges he faces as a young coffee farmer.
Nicaragua with Geisha and El Salvador with Pacamara
In Nicaragua, the winner of the Cup was producer Olman Valladarez from Inversiones Valladarez Acevedo, with a natural process Geisha variety, grown at Los Alpes farm in Dipilto, Nueva Segovia, scoring 91.10. In this country, 30 producers advanced to the auction.
Ismael Recinos Flores, owner of La Bendición farm in the Alotepec Metapán region, was the winner in El Salvador. Resino scored 92 points with a Pacamara coffee in the washed and honey categories. This was the 21st edition of the Cup of Excellence in El Salvador, which received 79 samples, 10 of which scored above 90, earning the title of presidential coffee.
The Cup of Excellence (CoE) is an international competition that, has been held since 1999, selecting the best coffee in the world under the direction of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE). Costa Rica and Guatemala will announce their winners this Friday, June 7, and Bandola Digital will bring you all the details.
