Of the 35 Nicaraguan coffee producers that obtained more than 86 points this year, five scored 90 or more, entering the category of "Presidential Cafés".
According to the organizers, the results were positive, as in previous editions of the event only two or three managed to enter the presidential coffee category.
At the international auction, a hundredweight of Geisha coffee by Grupo Los Grandes de Copey won the first place and the sum of $8,030 was paid by an international buyer.
The price paid by the Japanese company Maruyama Coffee was 37% higher than that paid at the Coffee Cup of Excellence 2016 online auction, when $5,900 per hundredweight was paid for the winning coffee.
In the electronic auction a pound of coffee harvested on the farm Monte Llano Bonito won first place and the amount of $ 59 paid by an international buyer.
On June 21, the Japanese importer Wataru acquired for the coffee roaster Takamura, the best coffee in Costa Rica grown and harvested on the farm SUMA VA in Lourdes Cirri in Naranjo, Valle Occidental, during the International Cup of Excellence Auction.The grainwas sold at $59 a pound or S5900 per hundredweight for a batch of 11 bags.
A gourmet coffee from a farm in the town of Dilpito and local contest winner received the highest price in the online international auction.
The 25 lots of coffee in the auction had an averaged selling price of $933 per cwt (hundredweight), the highest price recorded in the 11 editions of the event based in Nicaragua.
"The gourmet coffee farm La Dueña, owned by Jeni Lourdes Bustamante Moncada, in Loma Fria in the municipality of Dipilto ...
After a year's absence because of the impact of the rust blight, the coffee trading association is once again organizing the contest in order to boost exports.
The Specialty Coffee Association of Nicaragua (ACEN) is preparing for the 2014 Cup of Excellence event, considered of great importance in keeping the franchise of the Alliance for Coffee of Excellence. Because of the impact caused by rust, last year the event was not held.
The best price achieved in the online auction Cup of Excellence, was by coffee from the Villa Zamora farm, processed by Brumas del Zurquí.
As for price, the second place went to Dragon farm, at $2.008 per quintal, which was acquired by the companies Time's Club for C-COOP (Japan) and Coffee Libre (South Korea).
According to information from the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (Icafe), "With prices above $1,000 per quintal batches were sold of El Roble ($1.198 per quintal), El Halcón ($ 1.210) Las Nubes ($1,020), and La Cumbre de Dota ($1.020 per quintal).
The highest price achieved at auction was by coffee from the farm 'La Roxanita'.
Sales of the 42 lots auctioned totaled $830,245. The rest of the lots reached prices between $400 and $1,500.
"This value is seven times the price paid today in the international coffe market, including delivery, in July ($ 260.25). However, it failed to beat the record of $2,800, paid last year for a grain from “La Swiza” farm in Santa Ana
The highest price achieved at auction was for the Coffee Finca La Estrella, from Santa Maria de Dota.
In the final stage of the Cup of Excellence competition, the electronic auction, the second best price for coffee went to the Don Leoncio farm, in Manuel Antonio Barranes, at $1,200 per quintal.
"Ronald Peters, the executive director of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (Icafe), stressed the importance of this contest for Costa Rica’s growing reputation of producing more and more first-class coffee", noted an article in Nacion.com.
The highest price went to the coffee farm La Guadalupana, but was well below the $3,565 paid per quintal in 2010.
27 lots of coffee were included In the electronic auction. The second highest price went to a Nicaraguan coffee, San Fernando of Nueva Segovia, produced by the farm Los Congos and sold for $1,030 per quintal.
"Julio Peralta, president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Nicaragua (ACEN), speculated in a preliminary assessment of the results of the electronic auction, that what probably influenced the outcome was the fact that several Japanese companies registered to participate in the bid decided to join together and submit joint bids, as a result of the economic situation faced by Japan after the earthquake in March", noted an article in Laprensa.com.ni
The award was presented at the national level, the batch of coffee will be entered into an international electronic auction.
The Cup of Excellence electronic auction, where prices climb higher than those of the New York Stock Exchange, will be the second step for the owners of “Café de Dota” the winning brand.
Chosen by 17 international and two local judges, the sample of coffee from La Estrella Farm won first place with 90.38 points.
55 coffee samples were selected to participate in the competition that ends on May 13.
17 international judges selected the samples that will be offered to international buyers in the electronic auction to be held on June 21.
"In this auction small batches of coffee (15 to 60 bags of 60 kilos) are sold and although prices get very high in relation to the New York Mercantile Exchange, the producers argue that the most important aspect is the international promotion of these quality grains. " reported the Nacion.com
A jury with representatives from different countries around the world gave the award to the estate for its production of the Pacamara strain of coffee variety.
The award received by the Salvadoran farm Roxanita paves way for its entry into the online auction which will be held on 16 June.
This is the ninth edition of the event, which in previous years has managed to break records, including the best-sales in a Cup of Excellence worldwide auction.
Until May 7, 28 international judges will be selecting the best coffee which will then be offered up to electronic auction.
Judges accredited by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) from at least 11countries, will select the best from among the 60 participating samples, each provided from similarly sized coffee farms.
The samples that reach the qualifying round will participate in the online auction to be held on June 16.
Coffee producers have until March 25 to submit samples in time for the competition.
After not having it done last year due to lack of financing, the Cup of Excellence competition returns, sponsored by Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE).
In a first stage, national tasters select the best among participant coffee samples.
"On the next phase, done by international tasters, the coffee is rated once again and the best is chosen.
The Japanese business Tashiro Coffee paid $1.545 per quintal for coffee from the Bella Vista farm in the virtual auction that was conducted yesterday.
In the auction, which was carried out via Internet, there were 24 lots of fine Costa Rican coffee and the average price obtained was $718 per quintal.
Ismael Venegas writes for the Nación web portal: “...A Japanese business, which paid $1.545 per quintal (46 kilograms), paid 11 times more than New York’s market. Yesterday in this marketplace, a quintal of coffee for delivery in July was negotiated at $131.60."