Crimson Cup Wins Medals at Golden Bean North America Roasting Contest

Great news! Crimson Cup won three medals at the third annual Golden Bean North America roasting competition sponsored by Pentair Everpure. Competing in a field of 863 entries from North American roasters, we won medals for our Wayfarer Blend and Ethiopian Kossa Kebena coffees. The contest took place Sept. 13 through 16 at the Double Tree Hilton in Portland, Oregon.

Crimson Cup’s entries were sourced and selected for Golden Bean judges by Coffee Sourcing and Education Director Brandon Bir, who also served as one of five head judges responsible for managing over 60 judges each day to ensure consistency.

“As a coffee roaster, we stake our reputation on the quality of our coffee beans,” Brandon said. “We’re proud that our coffee continues to be judged among the best in North America by our roasting peers.” Crimson Cup was named 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year by Roast magazine. Our Ethiopian Kossa Kebena coffee won a 2017 Good Food Award, and our Wayfarer Blend has brought home trophies from the America’s Best Espresso competitions at Coffee Fest New York and Coffee Fest Chicago as well as the 2016 Golden Bean North America competition.

At the Golden Bean contest, coffees in nine different categories and brew methods were judged through blind tasting by roasters attending the event. Crimson Cup won medals in all three categories that we entered.

Wayfarer Blend took home the gold medal as the top coffee in the Franchise/Chain Milk-Based Espresso category. Wayfarer also won a silver medal in the Franchise/Chain Espresso category. Ethiopian Kossa Kebena won a bronze medal in the Franchise/Chain Filter (pour over) category.

Wayfarer, which means traveler, is blended from a rotating selection of current-crop coffees. The blend currently has Heirloom and Bourbon varietals cultivated at elevations of 1,700 to 2,000 meters. Lightly roasted, Wayfarer Blend melds the syrupy, rich and smooth notes of tree nuts and chocolate with bright accents of exotic fruits.

In 2015, Wayfarer Blend received an outstanding 92 rating from Kenneth Davids and the Coffee Review. Reviewers described the handcrafted blend as, “… a quietly comprehensive cup, with crisp nut and cacao notes and a softening bloom of sweet flowers.” The complete September 2015 review is available on the Coffee Review website.

Directly traded through Crimson Cup’s Friend2Farmer program, Ethiopian Kossa Kebena grows in Western Ethiopia’s Limmu Kossa District, in the highlands of the Kebena forest.

“Heirloom varietals grown at an altitude of 1,900 to 2,100 meters are naturally processed on raised beds to produce this outstanding coffee,” said Bir, who has made multiple visits to the farm. “Sales of this coffee support long-term economic sustainability for this farmer and his employees and protection of the endangered Kebena Forest.”

The Coffee Review described Ethiopian Kossa Kebena as, “a fruit-driven, harmoniously balanced Ethiopia natural,” awarding an outstanding 93 rating. The complete September 2016 review is available on the Coffee Review website.