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Brewing up winners at coffee fair

For those unfamiliar with this competition, it is held each year in Nicaragua and in several other coffee-producing countries. Farmers from all over the country are eligible to enter. After a strict “cupping
competition” the results are announced. Coffees are judged for body,
acidity, aroma, flavor, and aftertaste/finish. After top coffees are
announced and samples provided to bidders, an Internet auction is held to sell the coffees of the winners, with hundreds of roasters and coffeehouses from around the world bidding against each other to obtain the finest Nicaraguan coffees.

This year, as last year, the department of Nueva Segovia dominated the competition, with 22 of the top 34 coffees coming from that region. Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the soil, or maybe the growing technique? In any case, coffee from Nueva Segovia is becoming a major brand unto itself on the world coffee market. In fact, this year the top Nicaraguan coffee from the farm of Marcio Benjamin Peralta Paguaga (La Prensa, June 7, 2007) garnered $47.06 a pound. I wonder what a latte costs in the shop that bought this great coffee? To give you an idea of what a wonderful price this is, the New York futures price for a pound of average coffee is about $1.16 per pound.

In addition, this same coffee is now considered the fourth best coffee in the entire world! This is great news for Nicaragua. The future looks
bright and prosperous for Nicaraguan coffee.