What is the Taste of Harvest coffee association contest?

Taste of Harvest, or TOH, is a green coffee competition organized by the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), open to producing countries across the continent. It works much like the global Cup of Excellence, judging lots on the cup. Ethiopia's Huakui, from the Buku Abel station in Guji Hambella, won the natural group in 2017.

Ethiopia is Africa's largest coffee producer and is widely treated as coffee's birthplace, which is why the competition draws attention there each harvest. Huakui's win came on intense berry aroma and a creamy texture, and the lot now sold as Huakui 8.0 shows dried mango, citrus and jackfruit with a black tea finish. Burundi coffee flavor profile entries often appear in the same event.

As Africa's largest coffee-producing country and the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia is blessed with exceptional natural conditions, and its coffees are renowned worldwide for their floral and citrus notes. When it comes to the representative Ethiopian natural bean, many people first think of "Huakui." This coffee, from the Buku Abel processing station in the Guji Hambella region, rose to fame after winning the 2017 TOH green bean competition. So what exactly is the TOH competition? How is it similar to and different from the COE Cup of Excellence? How does the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) organize this grand event? This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of the ins and outs of the TOH Taste of Harvest competition, as well as the rise to fame of Huakui coffee, while also introducing the flavor profile of Huakui 8.0 currently sold by Front Street Coffee.

Ethiopia is currently the largest coffee producer in Africa and is also widely regarded as the birthplace of coffee. Its superior natural environment nurtures coffees with distinctive floral and citrus notes, which are deeply favored by coffee lovers around the world. If one were to name a representative Ethiopian natural bean, "Huakui" is undoubtedly the top choice for many.

The full name of "Huakui" is Ethiopia Guji Hambella Buku Abel—a Chinese name given by domestic coffee traders, referring to a natural coffee bean produced at the Buku Abel processing station in Ethiopia's Guji Hambella region. Currently at Front Street Coffee, this bean has been updated to "Huakui 8.0." When brewed, it presents 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 rich layering. Those interested can purchase it through the Front Street Tmall flagship store or the Front Street Taobao store.

This coffee bean's rise to fame began 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 group.

So what exactly is the TOH competition that made "Huakui" famous? TOH stands for Taste of Harvest, often translated into Chinese as "收获季风味大赛." 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 quality competition for green beans.

The African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) is a membership-based nonprofit organization founded in July 2000, whose members include coffee producers, traders, government agencies, and other supporting organizations. 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.

At the beginning of each year, AFCA holds the Taste of Harvest competition, TOH, an annual coffee quality event held within its member countries. The TOH format is divided into two levels: the national competition (NATIONAL) and the African regional final (REGIONAL). Because some countries grow both Arabica and Robusta varieties, national competitions are held for both varieties; in addition, the Arabica variety is further divided into washed, natural, and honey processing groups. Front Street's Huakui coffee came from that year's natural group.

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

AFCA holds 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 the 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 TOH competition in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

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