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Taiwan hosted its first Cup of Excellence competition, introducing its emerging specialty coffee on the world stage.
Only the third Asian country and the 17th globally to host the Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, Taiwan featured four coffees scoring over 90 points. The inaugural competition awarded a diverse group of winners, including several female producers and farms practicing organic farming.
Erwin Mierisch, Executive Director of COE and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), spoke of the competition’s prestige and importance in the coffee industry.
“The Cup of Excellence is more than just a competition: it’s a bridge that connects passionate and skilled coffee farmers with roasters worldwide,” he says.
“Taiwan’s commitment to innovation and quality has made it a promising new player in the global coffee community. I’m excited to see more Taiwanese coffees with unique flavours and outstanding economic value come to the forefront.”
The selection process involved 33 international and national jurors from 10 countries who conducted three rounds of evaluations over eight days, tasting more than 3000 cups of coffee. The winning coffees were cupped at least 108 times, with the top 20 scoring above 87 points to receive the title of Cup of Excellence winner. These coffees will be auctioned internationally on October 3.
According to organisers, the nation’s diverse geography creates ideal conditions for producing specialty coffee. For this year’s competition, COE Taiwan introduced a mixed lot competition and allowed producers from three neighbouring estates with the same processing methods to jointly register, providing opportunities for those impacted by natural disasters to compete.
“Enhancing the value of local coffee amidst high production costs in Taiwan is a risky endeavour, but I firmly believe Taiwan is on track to becoming a future start in the global specialty coffee market,” says Krude Lin, Chairman of the Coffee Industry Alliance Taiwan.
“Our hard work will ensure that Taiwanese coffee becomes a high-quality alternative in the international coffee market.”
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