Taste of Harvest: a catalyst for elevating African coffees

About the Taste of Harvest

The African Taste of Harvest is an annual coffee quality competition hosted in AFCA member countries. National competitions take place following each country’s harvest season for Arabica and Robusta, culminating in the Regional African Taste of Harvest Competition at the African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition each year.

AFCA invites its members to submit their finest coffee samples to the Taste of Harvest Competition. All samples are cupped and graded using the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scoring system and forms. A panel of experienced and certified judges selects the top five (5) coffees from each of the following categories: Washed, Natural, and Honey (Arabica), and Robusta.

Why Taste of Harvest?

Through the Taste of Harvest Competition, AFCA strives to promote the highest quality coffees from across Africa. The competition acts as a platform for buyers and sellers, aiming to create new and build upon existing trade relationships. Winning coffees from each country are not only showcased at the African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition, but they are also promoted at international trade shows and other events.

The Taste of Harvest provides AFCA members with the opportunity to diversify their market access portfolio. At a continental level, the competition aims to grow the specialty profile of African countries in the international coffee sector, discovering unfound coffee origins and cup profiles in the heart of Africa.

2023-2024 in Review

During the 2023-2024 season, national competitions took place in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Tanzania submitted samples to be cupped in Ethiopia. The Regional Taste of Harvest took place during the 20th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition from February 6-10 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A total of 71 Arabica coffee samples from nine (9) countries competed in the regional event, of which 41 were Washed, 24 were Naturals, and six (6) were Honey Processed. Seven (7) Robusta coffee samples from four (4) countries also competed. All coffees were graded by a panel of seven (7) regional and international judges, all of whom are certified Q Graders. For national and regional competition results, see below:

Looking Ahead

For the season ahead, AFCA aims to host National Taste of Harvest Competitions in 10 member countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. The Regional Competition is scheduled to take place in February 2025 at the 21st African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition in Tanzania. Stay tuned for the upcoming competition schedule!