COLUMBUS, Ohio U.S. – Brandon Bir, coffee sourcing and education manager for Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, has been named a final-round tasting judge for the Third Annual Oaxacan Coffee Awards for Quality.
Bir will evaluate the top 20 coffee samples in the third and final round of the competition on April 7, 2016. Categories include washed coffee, honey-processed coffee and natural coffee.
“It’s a real privilege to judge the finest coffees from Oaxaca, Mexico,” Bir said.
Held to identify top-quality coffees grown in the State of Oaxaca, Mexico, the Oaxacan Coffee Awards for Quality are hosted by Chapingo Autonomous University in collaboration with the Cuppers Q Network of Oaxaca, the Mexican Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA), Axiom Coffee Ventures and Café Brujula.
After the final round of judging, competition organizers will host an open tasting of the best coffees for national and international buyers on April 8. An award ceremony and coffee auction for the top 20 entries will follow on April 9.
Over the past few years, Crimson Cup’s coffee-buying team has made trips to coffee farms and co-ops in Oaxaca, seeking out new coffees and new relationships through its Friend2Farmer direct trade program. Roast magazine editors cited the roaster’s work in cultivating relationships with coffee growers around the world as a factor in its 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year title
