20th Annual Taza Dorada

20th Annual Taza Dorada - Ecuador's Gold Cup

This October, Kurtis traveled to Ecuador to represent Heady Cup and the United States at the 20th annual Taza Dorada, Ecuador’s premier national specialty coffee competition, which celebrates the producers, the land, and the extraordinary work that goes into producing world-class coffee. For three days, a panel of esteemed international judges tasted, evaluated, argued, and deliberated on Ecuador’s finest coffees. 

On the final day, the winners were announced, and the country’s top 10 coffees went under the gavel in a live auction. What happened next went down in the record books.

The First Place coffee sold for a staggering $105 per pound!

That’s not a misprint! One hundred five dollars a pound! 

And guess what...? HEADY CUP SECURED SOME!

We’re talking about only 100 pounds of this exceptional coffee from the winning lot. 

Heady Cup secured 25 pounds, making us the proud owners of a seriously rare piece of Ecuadorian coffee history. At that price, this isn’t your everyday morning cup. It’s a rare chance to experience a unique coffee judged among the best in one of the world’s most exciting coffee-producing countries. And here’s the catch: no other roaster in the United States will have this coffee. Our allocation is limited, our supply is finite, and when it’s gone, it’s gone. Just a tiny window of opportunity to taste something genuinely exceptional. 

But wait, we didn’t stop at number one... Heady Cup also secured the second-place coffee, a coffee that sold for $70 per pound. Two of Ecuador’s most celebrated coffees, selected by expert judges and recognized on the international stage, are now making their way to our little corner of Illinois.

For Kurtis, it was a genuine privilege to taste, judge, and represent Heady Cup and the United States. Bringing a piece of that experience home is the cherry on top. We'll release these coffees in extremely limited quantities at the Heady Cup shop, online, and select Taza Dorada events. We’ll share the details as they’re announced, so keep your eyes peeled.