The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) has announced the opening of the Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA). Conducted annually, the AICA celebrates and promotes coffee roasting excellence, with judging to take place in conjunction with MICE in March.
Fifth-generation coffee farmer and Director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, Aida Batlle will join the judging panel of the 2016 awards.
The 2016 AICA will also see the introduction of a new brew type and two new trophies.
The Cold Brew class will open the awards up to the burgeoning number of producers of this brew type.
Another new trophy for Champion Direct Trade Coffee or Micro-lot Coffee in recognition of the growing number of coffee roasters developing direct trade relationships with coffee producers and offering seasonal micro-lot coffees to their customers.
The trophy can be won by any brew type fitting the criteria, bringing the total number of Champion Trophies to eight.
Champion Australian Roaster and Champion International Roaster will again be awarded in 2016, along with Champion Espresso, Champion Milk-Based Coffee, Champion Soy- Based Coffee and Champion Filter Coffee.
The awards are now open, with entries closing on 6 February 2016. Judging will take place from 8 -11 March, and the AICA champions will be presented as part of the MICE on 16 March.
For further details or to enter the awards visit rasv.com.au/coffee
About the Australian International Coffee Awards
The Australian International Coffee Awards (AICA) is Australia’s first international coffee roasting competition, conducted annually by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV).
The AICA celebrates and promotes coffee roasting excellence in Australia and around the world and is a partner event of the 2016 Melbourne International Coffee Expo (MICE).
Entries into the AICA are judged by respected Australian and international coffee industry experts in Melbourne, Australia and entrants are provided with credible benchmarking of products, invaluable feedback from the judging panel and market differentiation with the seal of quality an award represents.
2016 AICA Key Dates
- Entries Open- 1 December 2015
- Entries Close- 6 February 2016
- Judging Dates- 8 – 11 March 2016
- Awards Presentation- 16 March 2016
