The Best of the Pearl Competition: Uganda’s Finest Coffees Auctioned Online

In an effort to promote Uganda’s finest Arabica coffees and ensure their visibility in the international market, the Uganda Coffee Federation (UCF) in partnership with Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and EAC MARKUP through the International Trade Centre (ITC), organised an international coffee cupping competition named Best of the Pearl, judged by a national jury and an international jury that joined remotely.

Usually, international judges would fly in to such competitions for the quality evaluation and lot selection. But during the current COVID-19 pandemic with its travel regulations and lock downs, how can an international jury come together for cupping coffee?

The organisers started thinking outside the box and organised a competition judged by a national jury on the spot and a remote international jury. A first national round took place physically on the spot to do a preselection. An international jury of sixteen Q-Graders (accredited coffee cuppers), based in eleven different countries, gathered online and assessed the thirteen preselected coffees via a virtual meeting. All coffees were roasted in the UK and sent out to the jurors to make sure the samples were consistent. The international jurors shortlisted the final line-up of coffees, and ranked them based on their quality, before they were auctioned to international buyers on 19 May 2021.

The results of the international round of the cupping competition brought a great win for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The top three coffees in each category – naturals, washed and honeys – were coffees from SMEs that have been receiving support from EAC MARKUP through the International Trade Centre (ITC).

“The coffees were extremely clean and sweet with an amazing flavour. It was a privilege to have tasted such coffees from Uganda,” said an impressed Jordon Dabov, jury member from Bulgaria.

The successful competition and auction for Arabica coffees will be followed by an event featuring Robusta coffees in August 2021.

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