How Does the African Fine Coffees Association Run Taste of Harvest?

The African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) is a membership-based nonprofit that organizes the Taste of Harvest (TOH) green bean competition, an event compared to the Cup of Excellence. Ethiopia's Huakui, a natural coffee from the Buku Abel station in Guji Hambella, won the natural category in 2017, bringing both the competition and AFCA wider attention.

AFCA works across African producing countries to raise coffee quality and expand international trade, and TOH serves as its judging platform at several regional tiers. Entries are scored as green beans before export, so a win signals measurable cup quality and helps a lot reach buyers abroad.

Ethiopia, as Africa's largest coffee-producing country and the recognized birthplace of coffee, is deeply favored by enthusiasts for its unique floral and citrus flavor notes. When it comes to the representative Ethiopian natural coffee, many people immediately think of "Huakui." This natural coffee from the Buku Abel processing station in the Guji Hambella region rose to fame after winning the natural category championship at the 2017 TOH green bean competition. So what exactly is TOH? What kind of organization is AFCA, its organizer? This article will walk you through the membership structure of the African Fine Coffees Association, the competition tiers of TOH, and how the event helps African coffee-producing countries improve quality and expand international trade.

Ethiopia is currently Africa's largest coffee producer and is widely recognized as the birthplace of coffee. Thanks to its favorable natural conditions, the coffee produced here carries a distinctive floral and citrus character that has captured the hearts of countless coffee lovers. When it comes to choosing an iconic Ethiopian natural coffee, the first name that comes to many people's minds is "Huakui."

The full name of "Huakui" is Ethiopia Guji Hambella Buku Abel. It was named Huakui by a Chinese coffee trader and refers to a natural coffee bean produced at the Buku Abel processing station in Ethiopia's Guji Hambella region. At Front Street Coffee, this bean has now been updated to "Huakui 8.0." On the palate, you can taste tropical fruit notes of dried mango, citrus, and jackfruit, with abundant juiciness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel. The finish carries a black tea-like sweetness, with quite a rich layered expression.

This bean truly came into the public eye in 2017. At that time, Ethiopia's DW Coffee Company submitted "Huakui" to the TOH green bean competition, and with its intense berry aroma and creamy texture, it took first place in the natural category.

What exactly is the TOH competition that made "Huakui" famous? TOH (Taste of Harvest) is also known as the Harvest Season Flavor Competition. In nature, it is similar to the globally renowned COE (Cup Of Excellence), but its organizer is the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), and it is a green bean competition.

The African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) is a membership-based non-profit organization officially established in July 2000, primarily representing coffee producers, traders, government agencies, and other related support institutions. AFCA currently consists of 11 member countries: Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Every year at the beginning of the year, AFCA holds the Taste of Harvest competition (TOH), an annual coffee quality competition conducted among member countries. The event is first divided into national competitions (NATIONAL) and the African regional final (REGIONAL). Since some countries cultivate both Arabica and Robusta varieties, national competitions are held for both species; among them, Arabica is further subdivided into washed, natural, and honey processing categories.

The winners of the national competitions represent their respective countries in the African regional final, held during the annual African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition (hosted in rotation by member countries). All competition samples are graded using the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) scoring system and cupping procedures, and ultimately a team of experienced, certified judges selects the top five in the three Arabica processing categories as well as the Robusta category.

AFCA organizes the Taste of Harvest competition (TOH) with the aim of promoting the finest coffees from across Africa. The winning coffees from each country not only appear at the African Fine Coffee Conference and Exhibition but are also promoted at international trade exhibitions and other coffee events, thereby helping African coffee-producing countries develop coffee trade, improve coffee quality, and attract the attention and purchasing interest of international buyers.

Earlier this year, the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), together with the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, held the 2024 Taste of Harvest competition (TOH) in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.