BOGOTA, Colombia – After three rigorous cup tasting rounds, Almacafé, the logistics arm of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), selected the finalist lots of the 2nd National Quality Competition: “Colombia, Land of Diversity.”
The 70 lots (2 for Large Lots and 68 for Small Lots) come from 14 coffee departments: Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Casanare, Cauca, Cesar, Cundinamarca, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Norte de Santander, Santander, Valle del Cauca, and Tolima.
Organized by the FNC, the contest is part of the strategy to promote production of differentiated high-quality Colombian coffee.
There are two major categories: Small Lots (volume between 500 and 2,000 kg) and Large Lots (volume between 25,000 and 27,500 kg).
One lot per producer or farm, and one lot per producer or producer association participated in the Small and Large categories, respectively.
The finalists will be evaluated independently on April 4th and 7th by a panel of 30 judges from Asia, Europe and North America, for the following sensory attributes or features:
- Acidity
- Body
- Mildness
- Balance
- Exoticness
The awarding ceremony will take place on April 7th, at the National Coffee Park, in Montenegro, Quindío. The best coffees of each category will participate in an international live auction.
There will be a single recognition equivalent to US$ 8,500 for the best estate coffee in the Large Lots category, and a recognition of US$ 8,500 for each winner of the sensory attributes in the Small Lots category.
The auction’s base price will be US$ 5 per pound for Small Lots and US$ 2 per pound for Large Lots.
